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United States COAST GUARD, NAVY Seize Nigerian Large Supertanker ‘Skipper’ IMO Number 9304667 on High Seas over Crude Oil Theft, Piracy & Cocaine Smuggling

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*20-year-old vessel owned, managed by Nigeria-based Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd., listed as Triton Navigation Corp., with headquarters in the Marshall Islands....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

*Tanker on speed illegally had Guyanese flag at the time of its arrest, check with Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, showed Thomarose is registered non-active

*Operating within a network backed by suspected Iranian, other Islamist-linked money-laundering financiers

*“Skipper is not on our national ship registry and was using the country’s flag without authorisation”– Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department

*“If the vessel emanated from Nigeria, it suggests our Port State Control is practically non-existent”-President of the Centre for Marine Surveyors, Nigeria, Engr. Akin Olaniyan

*“Seizure was carried out under American law enforcement authority, with President Donald Trump announcing the operation”-U. S Department of Transportation

*BY CHARLOTTE CREAMER/INTERNATIONAL MARITIME EDITOR, MARSHALL ISLANDS, NAIJA STANDARD NEWSPAPER INC USA

WITH LASER FOCUSED plans to cleanse the Nigerian maritime system and put an end to the nefarious activities of pirates, oil theft and hard drug smugglers operating on the high seas, the United States Coastal Guard and the American Navy set up a tracker to monitor these criminals. Their vigilance paid off when the United States maritime security intercepted a Nigerian-owned supertanker called ‘Skipper’, over allegations of crude oil theft, piracy, and Cocaine transaction.

The vessel, a 20-year-old Very Large Crude Carrier, VLCC, with IMO Number 9304667, is reportedly owned and managed by Nigeria-based Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd., though its registered owner is listed as Triton Navigation Corp., headquartered in the Marshall Islands.

Authorities said the tanker was illegally flying the Guyanese flag at the time of its arrest.

In a swift rebuttal, Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department, MARAD, confirmed that Skipper is not on its national ship registry and was using the country’s flag without authorisation.

According to security sources within the United States Department of Transportation, the seizure was carried out under American law enforcement authority, with President Donald Trump announcing the operation.

Beyond suspicions of stolen crude, the vessel is also being investigated for allegedly transporting a large consignment of hard drugs in the form of Cocaine and operating within a network backed by suspected Iranian and other Islamist-linked money-laundering financiers.

A check with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, Abuja, showed that Thomarose was registered in Nigeria, presently in a non-active status.

Reacting to the seizure, the President of the Centre for Marine Surveyors, Nigeria, Engr. Akin Olaniyan, said that if the vessel indeed departed from Nigeria before being intercepted, it would indicate weaknesses in Nigeria’s Port State Control regime.

According to him, “If the vessel emanated from Nigeria, it suggests our Port State Control is practically non-existent. It also means any vessel leaving Nigerian waters may come under stricter scrutiny by Port State Control authorities in other countries. This issue has nothing to do with Nigeria as a country, but with regulatory enforcement.”

Similarly, the National President of Oil and Gas Service Providers Association of Nigeria, OGSPAN, Mazi Colman Obasi, said: “I have never heard that Nigeria has a supertanker and that it is not active in CAC. I don’t even know if stakeholders are aware. Anyway, the government and other agencies can do more.”

Speaking also, President of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria, SOAN, Otunba Sola Adewumi, noted that he could not comment on the seizure of the vessel as he was yet to receive sufficient details about the circumstances surrounding its arrest.

He appealed for more time to ascertain the vessel’s ownership and registration status.

Nigeria lost 13.5m barrels of crude worth $3.3bn to theft, sabotage in one year-NEITI

Earlier this year, it came to light that the Federal Government lost a total of 13.5 million barrels of crude oil worth $3.3 billion to theft and pipeline sabotage between 2023 and 2024. Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr. Ogbonnanya Orji, disclosed in Lagos at the 2025 Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC) conference in Lagos on October 7.

He spoke on the theme, ‘Nigeria’s Energy Future: Exploring Opportunities and Addressing Risks for Sustainable Growth.’

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Oyo police intercepts truck conveuing explosives in Saki

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The Oyo State Police Command has announced an operational success recorded following an intelligence-led operation.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Command intercepted a truck conveying materials suspected to be explosive devices during a stop-and-search operation in Saki, Oyo State. The truck and the suspected materials were promptly secured and are currently in police custody.

Upon receiving a briefing on the development, the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, CP Femi Haruna, immediately ordered a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

Consequently, specialised personnel of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Unit were deployed to safely secure the items for safekeeping and forensic examination. Detailed forensic analysis has since commenced, alongside a thorough and robust investigation to determine the exact nature of the items and their intended use.

The truck driver has been taken into custody and is cooperating fully with investigators as efforts continue to unravel all the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The Commissioner of Police commended the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, for his unwavering support, strategic leadership, and continued provision of operational guidance that enhance proactive, intelligence-driven policing across the country.

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Benue: Armed bandits kill motorcyclist, injure woman in Apa LGA

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One person has died and another sustained injuries following an assault by suspected armed bandits in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

According to sources, the attack took place on January 24 around 4:00 p.m. along the Amoke–Odugbo road in Ukpogo Village, Edikwu Ward.

The victims, identified as Mr Joseph Okoh and Miss Aneh Sunday, both from Ogodumo, Adoka in Otukpo LGA, were reportedly riding a motorcycle when the assailants struck.

“They were rushed to the Comprehensive Health Centre, Ugbokpo, where Mr Okoh was confirmed dead while receiving treatment. Miss Sunday is currently admitted and responding to treatment,” the source stated.

Nigerian troops were quickly deployed to the area, and a search operation in the surrounding bushes is ongoing to apprehend the attackers.

“The Criminal Investigation Department has commenced an investigation into the incident,” the source added.

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2026 UTME: JAMB scraps special privileges for albino candidates over malpractices

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has scrapped special concessions and registration procedures previously granted to candidates with albinism for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, citing abuse of the privilege to perpetrate examination malpractice.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

The Board also warned faith-based tertiary institutions to clearly declare their religious status at the point of admission, saying it is deceptive to present as secular and later impose religious rules on students.

As reported by Vanguard, these decisions were taken on Saturday at a meeting between JAMB management, led by its Registrar, Prof. Isaq Oloyede, and Commissioners for Education from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, held in Ikeja, Lagos.

Oloyede said the meeting was convened to review and assess previous admission exercises.

He noted that despite safeguards introduced by the Board, some individuals remained determined to circumvent the system.

“We have stopped some concessions we gave albino candidates. This is because some are using artificial intelligence to manipulate the registration process to look like they are albinos because of the consideration we gave them.

“Last year alone, over 7,000 claimed to be albinos. We have stopped special registration procedures for albinos,” he said.

Addressing complaints from candidates admitted into some private institutions over compulsory religious instruction, Oloyede urged faith-based schools to be transparent.

“Faith-based institutions should declare from the onset what they are, so that whoever applies there will know what he is going to meet there. But some don’t do that. They will pretend to be secular, but once students are admitted, trouble will begin over religious instruction and injunctions.

“If you are a faith-based institution, say so. The law allows you to set up faith-based schools,” he said.

On last year’s UTME, where the highest-scoring candidate was later found to be a 300-level university student, the JAMB registrar said investigations showed that some undergraduates sit for the examination to change courses or assist others to secure admission.

“Students who are already in school but want to change courses and are applying again must declare and disclose their status.

“We have found that some candidates already in school are writing the examination for other candidates. Last year, the candidate who scored the highest was found to be a 300-level student in the university.

“Henceforth, any candidate found engaging in such an act, and who fails to disclose that he is already in school but wants to change course, will be disqualified and will also lose his current admission,” he said.

On admission criteria, Oloyede explained that federal government-owned institutions allocate 45 per cent on merit, 20 per cent on catchment area, 20 per cent to educationally disadvantaged states, while the remaining slots are allocated to other considerations.

“Each owner or state has the right to decide what its admission criteria will be. But for states, we encourage them to allocate at least 10 per cent to merit, regardless of where the candidates come from.

“This is to diversify the student population and admit eggheads from different communities,” he said.

He criticised some states for establishing new universities despite not fully utilising their admission quotas in existing federal institutions.

On underage candidates, Oloyede said 16 years remained the minimum admission age, noting that an attestation process was in place for exceptional cases.

“Last year, about 42,000 claimed to be underage. After evaluation, only 78 met the criteria and were admitted. We are not saying there are no talented candidates, but the figure looks outlandish,” he said.

The issue of how to engage underage candidates during a gap year divided opinions at the meeting, but a majority voted for JAMB to continue its special assessment process.

The meeting also observed that parental pressure on children to complete their education too quickly was a major contributor to the problem.

On efforts to curb examination malpractice, Oloyede said JAMB had stopped the movement of computers between Computer-Based Test centres.

“A computer registered in a particular centre will remain there and is not transferable to another centre. Some people borrow computers to get accredited and later move them around,” he said.

He dismissed claims that candidates were posted to towns they did not choose, saying personal data used for registration were drawn directly from the National Identification Number submitted by candidates.

Providing an update on the 2025 UTME, Oloyede said 974,855 candidates had so far been admitted out of about 1.95 million who sat for the examination.

He added that over N2.4 billion had been disbursed to institutions that consistently complied with JAMB’s rules over the past 10 years, and that the meeting agreed that schools producing the best candidates should be compensated.

On accreditation of CBT centres, Oloyede said the process involved teams comprising university vice-chancellors, rectors and provosts in each state.

He warned state governments against agreements with private promoters who might use centres to facilitate malpractice.

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