The Director of Operations for the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Karsim Kwasi Bosum Ebenezer Dasi is pointing accusing fingers at the National Security for its failure to account to stakeholders in the oil industry over the sales of petroleum products transported to the country illegally.
According to him, his outfits has apprehended many vessels containing petroleum products that have been brought from Nigeria to Ghana illegally and whenever he reports the matter to the National Security, nothing is being done about it.
He claimed that the National Security rather offload the petroleum products and allow the vessels to go back without prosecuting the suspects.
The IPMAN Ghanaian representative who expressed worries over the situation hinted that recently one vessel and five others were apprehended by his men, and he reported the matter to the National Security.
He said the National Security offloaded the illegal products and kept them at Planto and Akwaba, respectively but nothing has been done about it.
He said he has on many occasions approached the immediate past Director of Operations at National Security, Lt. Col. Frank Agyeman about some of the vessels that his team apprehended, and he was only told they have sold the products while hunting to arrest the suspects behind who have already fled away with the vessels.”
Just last Saturday, we caught one vessel which was from Nigeria, which has its office at East Legon, I reported to Lt. Col Frank Agyeman and he told me that, they have sent it Akwaaba Refinery and sold it already, and the vessel is gone but they are still targeting the vessel to arrest while they sell the products to Akwaaba,” he said.
He alleged that when such incidents occur the National Security sells the products without rendering proper accounts to the government and also filled the tanks with “Water”.
The Director of Operations for IPMAN noted that he has been tasked to be on surveillance in the waterways of Ghana and other ECOWAS member countries to apprehend any suspects who engage in an illegal deal of products from Nigeria to discharge them and report the IPMAN Authorities for necessary action.
He indicated that per the rules of the game, whenever an illegal vessel is being apprehended, they have to auction it, divide the money into three, give a share to the government of Ghana, other to the Nigerian Government and the Association also take its share.
But the National Security working at the port rather seized the illegal petroleum products and allegedly sold them without making any accounts to the Nigerian government which he feels it’s causing financial loss to the state.
Meanwhile, in a letter sighted by this paper, IPMAN last month apprehended two vessels identified as MT Maria Soltin IMO: 7203699 and MT Askja which they petitioned the Nigerian Government to evacuate all the petroleum products from the vessels that have been suspected to have conveyed the illegal products from Nigeria and kept under its custody till further notice for necessary action to be taken.
The Association has also petitioned the ECOWAS to seek its support in the fight against oil smuggling in the country.
Mr. Karsim Kwasi Bosum Ebenezer Dasi, however, appealed to the government of Ghana to quickly intervene and fish out the perpetrators behind for the right thing to be done.
GNA