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Naval Chief Ogalla Seeks Increased Manpower, Says 30,000 Officers Not Enough Against Oil Theft

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Nigeria Navy Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, says increased manpower will boost the efforts to curb oil theft in the country’s maritime space.

The naval chief stated this on Monday as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, as part of events lined up for the celebrations of the 69th anniversary of the Nigerian Navy.

Vice Admiral Ogalla said the entire personnel of the Nigerian Navy at over 30,000 isn’t sufficient to man Nigeria’s coastal maritime area which is one-third of the nation’s landmass.

He quickly added that the naval authorities have increased their annual enlistment of fresh minds to fill the vacuum.

FILE: Some Nigerian Navy personnel

 

The naval chief said, “It would surprise you to know that the Navy is just about 30 something thousand, and we have a coastal maritime area that is one-third of the nation’s landmass. Just about 30 something thousand in number. So, we are also building on this number, and we are increasing our recruitment, and our enlistment on an annual basis.

“It is an ongoing fight but the most important thing is that we are making tremendous progress.”

Vice Admiral Ogalla said the Nigerian Navy was not where it used to be, saying that it has become a continental force and a global reference.

The naval chief said, “The Nigerian Navy started with very few boats given to us by the Royal Navy but you can see that today, we are the third largest Navy in Africa and our goal is to become the largest Navy in Africa that can contribute effectively to global force projection.

“In terms of infrastructure and platforms, we have grown tremendously. In terms of surveillance and other maritime awareness, we have one of the best maritime awareness capacity in the world, a system that gives us visibility out there at sea.

“Like I always like to caution, every technology and every infrastructure has its limitation and that is why the human element comes into play, and we are not taking this aspect for granted; we are developing our personnel, we are also equipping ourselves.”

 

Turji
A court gavel

Special Court To Try Oil Thieves

He said Nigeria has recorded a drastic reduction in the activities of oil thieves in the last couple of years.

The naval chief noted that curbing oil theft demands a collective approach among the security agencies including the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force, as well as communities around the coastal areas.

Vice Admiral Ogalla also said that aside from kinetic measures, oil theft must also be tackled through non-kinetic means including unemployment, illiteracy, among others.

 

FILE PHOTO: Security officials seizing a vessel for oil theft.

 

He added some of the ships used by oil thieves are not owned by Nigerians hence it makes prosecution difficult. He reiterated the need for the establishment of special courts for the swift prosecution of suspects.

“We need special courts to make progress in the prosecution of maritime criminals,” Vice Admiral Ogalla said, adding that a presentation on it has been made to the justice minister Lateef Fagbemi and it is being considered.

Severe Punishment

He pledged that oil theft can be reduced to a level where it does not economically affect Nigeria’s oil revenue.

The naval chief also said officers involved in oil theft have been severely punished under his leadership. He said some of them have had their ranks reduced, and some dismissed. “It’s too risky for any of our men to engage in oil theft,” he warned, sternly.

According to him, the Nigerian Navy has a plan for the surveillance and monitoring of the environment to detect oil saboteurs. He added that the Navy is expanding its infrastructure and increasing its fleet for more sophisticated platforms for quick emergency response,

Vice Admiral Ogalla said to boost the drive for increased capacity to fight oil theft, the Navy launched three ships and three helicopters on Sunday.

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Transfer: Real Madrid , Cucurella Reach Verbal Agreement 

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Chelsea reliable defender, Marc Cucurella may join Spanish giant, Real Madrid before the end of the current transfer window.if information from transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano are anything to go by.

 

Romano In a latest transfer update, said Real Madrid has reached verbal agreement to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea.

“Verbal agreement in place between all parties, player too — he’s the left back wanted by Mourinho” the update read.

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Hakimi, Vinicius Barred From Speaking Spanish At World Cup

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FIFA has come under scrutiny after several high-profile players, including Achraf Hakimi and Vinicius Junior, were discouraged from speaking Spanish during media engagements at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

 

The issue first surfaced ahead of Morocco’s Group C clash with Brazil when a Spanish-speaking journalist attempted to question Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi in Spanish.

Despite Hakimi, who grew up in Madrid and speaks the language fluently, indicating he was comfortable answering in Spanish, event officials reportedly insisted that questions be asked in English.

Hakimi attempted to reassure organizers that language would not be a barrier, but officials maintained that no Spanish translator was available for the session. A compromise was eventually reached, with the reporter asking the question in Spanish while Hakimi responded in English.

The controversy intensified during Brazil’s media session when Vinicius Junior was also interrupted while responding to a question in Spanish.

The Real Madrid forward, who is more comfortable speaking Portuguese or Spanish than English, was reportedly asked by organizers to switch languages.

Rather than continue in Spanish, Vinicius opted to answer in Portuguese before turning his attention back to Brazil’s World Cup preparations.

The incidents sparked widespread debate among journalists and fans, many of whom questioned why Spanish—a language spoken by millions across North America—was effectively restricted at a tournament being hosted largely in the United States.

According to Spanish media outlet El País, FIFA only provides Spanish-language translation services at World Cup press conferences involving Spanish-speaking nations such as Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay.

For all other teams, questions and answers are expected to be conducted either in English or the official language of the participating country.

The policy has generated criticism online, with many supporters arguing that multilingual communication should be encouraged at a global event like the World Cup.

The backlash was particularly strong in Vinicius’ case, as the Brazilian forward appeared visibly uncomfortable being asked to communicate in English.

The controversy overshadowed what was otherwise a highly anticipated encounter between Brazil and Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

With the issue now drawing international attention, FIFA may face increasing calls to review its media language guidelines as the tournament progresses.

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It’s Illegal’…Falana’s Bombshell Indicts Govs, FG.

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Human rights advocate, Femi Falana, has warned federal and state governments against negotiating with and rewarding terrorists.

 

According to Falana, the practice is illegal.

He stated this while delivering the keynote address at the Amnesty International Second Annual General Meeting in Abuja on June 13, 2026.

Falana claimed it is public knowledge officials of the Federal Government and some State Governments have been holding meetings and negotiating with terrorists and bandits, which has led to thousands of ‘repentant’ criminals being forgiven and given cash gifts of undisclosed sums of money.

Asserting that the “satanic Boko Haram sect and similar bodies have been proscribed” under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, Falana insisted that “their members and allies shall be prosecuted and not pampered and forgiven by the Nigerian State.”

Highlighting the legal consequences, he quoted Section 22 of the Act, stating: “A person who knowingly—(a) arranges, manages, assists in arranging or managing, participates in a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, (b) collects, or provides logistics, equipment, information, articles or facilities for a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, or (c) attends a meeting, which in his knowledge is to support a proscribed entity or to further the objectives of a proscribed entity, commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of at least 20 years.”

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