Alleged Illegal Sand Dredging: Navy Impounds Boats In Onitsha

 Sand dredgers at the bank of the River Niger in Onitsha, Anambra State, under the auspice  of Dredger Owners Association of Anambra State, DOAAS,  have given a 24-hour ultimatum to officers and men of the Nigerian Navy, Onitsha Naval Outpost within which to release their boats and other dredging equipment which they seized from their members on Monday.

In a press statement made available to Odogwu Media  yesterday, Chairman of the association, Gilbert Udemadu disclosed that the naval men had on Monday being a public holiday, swooped on their members at their dredging site at the bank of the River Niger and carted away all their dredging equipment to the Naval base  just because they stopped paying a one-man co-operative society who had been extorting them over the years, posing as an official of the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.

Udemadu further disclosed that both their registered and non registered members dredging sand at the bank of the River Niger have over the years been paying N200 per trip of tipper sand to one Chief Augustine Nwachukwu, the owner of the one-man cooperative society known as River Niger Sand Dealers Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited, Asaba with the belief that he is an official of the Ministry of Mines and with the belief that the revenue was going into government coffers.

Flanked by his secretary, Igwejim Onyekachi and other members of DOAAS, including Marcus Umeh, Udoka Ofomata, John Adabanya, Ikenna Nwabueze and Uchechi Ndukwe, Udemadu noted that trouble started few months ago when Nwachukwu summoned their members on a meeting and told them to pay N200,000 each for registration.

He noted that it was at that juncture that they discovered that Nwachukwu was neither an official of Ministry of Mines nor their appointed representative and they not only refused to pay the N200,000 levy he imposed on them but also decided to stop paying him the N200 levy per trip of tipper sand since it had become obvious to them that the money was not going into government treasury but usually end up in his private pocket.

He said as they stopped paying Nwachukwu, they rather chose write to the Ministry officials to come forward and collect due revenue from them directly, adding that at the moment, the Minister who was highly elated by their decision to pay their revenues directly into the government coffers, has informed them of his intention to invite them on a meeting soonest.

He said as they were still waiting for the Minister's invitation, Nwachukwu who became uncomfortable for their stoppage of the payment of N200 levy per trip of sand, which usually earned him upto N448,000 per day, hired some armed thugs from the nearby Asaba, Delta State and allegedly attacked their members on September 18, this year.

He said that during the attack, the thugs carted away their batteries, water pumps, kick starters, towing boats with engines, many litres of fuel and even capsized one of their towing boats.

He said they reported the matter to officials of National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, through the Marine Police in Onitsha who summoned both parties on a meeting and directed Nwachukwu to release their boats to them, while waiting for the Minister's proposed meeting of both parties, adding that Nwachukwu is yet to comply with the directive from the NIWA manager to release their boats till date.

He said as they were still leaking the wounds association with the carting away of their dredging equipment, Nwachukwu went and conspired with the Naval officers at the Onitsha Naval Outpost to arrest some of their members and at the same time seized all their remaining dredging equipment on one condition that they must go and negotiate with Nwachukwu and settle their differences with him.

They therefore called on the Chief of Naval Staff to call his men to order by directing them to release their equipment forthwith and at the same time stop meddling into such a civil matter just because Nwachukwu might have paid them handsomely.

They insisted that they have nothing to negotiate with Nwachukwu because he had already taken them to court over the stoppage of the payment of N200 per trip of sand and besides the Minister of Mines would soon summon a meeting to that effect, adding that their stand is that they are ready to pay all revenues to the government than to an individual.

Confirming the impoundment, the Commander of the Onitsha Naval Outpost, Navy Captain Mike Oamen told newsmen on phone yesterday that they impounded the equipment because the association members were doing illegal dredging without license, just like oil bunkering.

Also speaking, Nwachukwu told newsmen on phone that he was not instrumental to the use of thugs to harass the association members as they alleged because he had already dragged them to court, adding that the navy issue is clear because they were doing illegal mining at the bank of the River Niger, without license.