The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has set January 10 and 11, 2023 for the commencement of the trial of all the 27 crew members of the arrested super vessel, MT Heroic Idun.
The vessel was arrested on the waters of Equatorial Guinea a few weeks ago after fleeing Nigeria on the allegation of involvement in illegal oil theft.
The government charged all the 27 member-crew to court on three-count charge. While 17 of the crew members were brought to court on Monday, the remaining 10 were arraigned yesterday where they pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The government arraigned the crew members and the vessel, bordering on unlawful entrance into Akpo Oil field, raising false piracy alarm to avoid arrest and an attempt to lift Crude oil without clearance.
When the matter was called on Monday 14th November, 2022, the prosecuting counsel, assistant chief state counsel, Abidemi Adewumi-Aluko, said that it was not possible to produce all the 27 defendants in court at the same day and asked that 17 of them on Monday take their plea while the rest crew members the remaining 10 persons appeared yesterday to take their own plea as the ship cannot be left unmanned
The counsel to defendants, Udoka Ezeobi, pleaded that the crew members be allowed access to medical needs while being detained on board the ship and also be allowed access to their lawyers.
The trial judge, Justice Turaki Mohammed, after listening to the counsel, ruled that the defendants that appeared before the court on Monday and the remaining 10 that appeared be remanded in the vessel and adjourned commencement of trial to January 10 and 11, 2023.
