Two additional suspects in an ongoing crude oil theft case have been arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court in Uyo. This brings the total number of people facing trial over alleged crude oil theft in Akwa Ibom State to 19.
Arepade Dominic Ekprese and Benson Ekiokekeme Innocent were brought before the court after being on the run since the initial operation. The Magistrate’s Court declined to hear the substantive charges, citing constitutional provisions on the jurisdiction of courts over offences of this gravity. It instead ordered that both suspects be remanded at the Uyo Medium Correctional Facility for 21 days. This came following an application by the Department of State Services to detain them pending the resumption of the Federal High Court in Uyo, which is currently on recess.
The Parent Operation
The two suspects are connected to a wider operation that dates back to April 9, 2026, when the Joint Task Force South South conducted an intelligence-driven raid. This led to the arrest of crew members and the seizure of two motorised tankers, MT WESTAF and MT MKPODU. The vessels were allegedly caught siphoning crude oil directly from a platform operated by an oil company on the shores of Akwa Ibom State.
Seventeen other suspects linked to the same operation were earlier arraigned before the Federal High Court in Uyo. They were also remanded at the Medium Security Correctional Centre. The two tankers were also held alongside the defendants as part of the court proceedings.
A security source described the operation as part of a broader effort to disrupt crude oil theft. The source said operations are ongoing and are designed to dismantle networks capable of undermining the country’s oil revenue.
Nigeria loses billions of dollars in crude oil annually to theft and pipeline vandalism. Every tanker seized and every suspect arraigned represents a fraction of a problem that runs far deeper than stated. The Federal High Court resumes. The case continues.
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