The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petition has summoned the Nigerian Navy to appear before it over allegation that its officers vandalised arrested vessels. This is just as the owners of the vessels made a claim of $29million dollars as damages on the vessel. The owners in a petition to the House, accused the…
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petition has summoned the Nigerian Navy to appear before it over allegation that its officers vandalised arrested vessels.
This is just as the owners of the vessels made a claim of $29million dollars as damages on the vessel.
The owners in a petition to the House, accused the Navy of tactically trying to evade the committee’s investigative hearing in order not to pay the damages claimed against it.
Chairman of the Committee, Hon Uzoma Abonta, had invited the Nigerian Navy to appear before it last Thursday over allegation raised by counsel to the petitioners, Mike Ozekhome, (SAN) on behalf of his clients, LifeLine Maritime Nigeria Limited and Braza Oil Limited.
Ozekhome expressed displeasure over what it described as defensive tactics deployed by Navy, as he said the Navy was frustrating the legal processes to seek redress on the matter.
He argued that the vessels were seized in good condition with about 75 tones of AGO, but the service claimed the AGO on the vessel was 50 tones.
Ozekhome told the committee that they were in court seeking redress before the lawyers from ministry of Defence approached them to settle out of court, but had consistently refused to show up for settlement.
