Reps order Navy to release seized ship

A joint committee of the House of Representatives has directed the Nigerian Navy to immediately release a vessel, which it had arrested on suspicion of crude oil theft.
After the meeting of the joint committee on Petroleum Resources and Navy with representatives of the Nigerian Navy and the agents to the vessel, the House also directed the police to withdraw the charges against the crew.
The committee said from its investigations, the vessel had not broken any law and should therefore be released.
The meeting which held on Monday was to discuss the fate of the vessel which was arrested by officers of the Nigerian Navy on the 19th of June, off the Nigerian coast.
According to the naval officers, following a directive from the Minister of state for Defence, the ship was handed over to men of the Nigeria Police Force.
A motion was immediately moved to have the vessel handed back to its owners.
The chairman of the joint committee also directed the police to withdraw a court case on the matter.
The committee directed the navy and police to appear before it on the 2nd of October, to give the committee an update on the matter.