The Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment, Sen. Ned Nwoko of PDP-Delta state, says the destruction of vessels apprehended for carrying illegal goods and stolen crude oil by the military is to conceal or destroy evidence.
He stressed that destroying what should be used as evidence for a crime committed does not make any sense, except those expected to prevent the crime were complicit and compromised.
He noted that the stolen crude should have been documented, preserved and the culprits charged.
He also noted that the stolen crude could have been produced as evidence against the thieves in court and ultimately returned the product to the owner.
The lawmaker, who is also a member of the Senate Committee, Upstream Petroleum, added that the only reason the military destroyed vessels apprehended for crude oil theft was to destroy evidence because there was a compromise.