FATAL VOYAGE! 18 cultists sailed into troubled waters
Nov 6, 201


By Albert AKPOR
STRATEGICALLY located at the nation’s territorial water way, the Atlas Cove oil facility, a major distributive channel of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has for sometime now, elicited security alerts, following the July 12, 2009 attack, allegedly by a group operating under the aegis of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND).
After the attack, which led to the death of about four persons, including a senior navy personnel, it became clear to the relevant authorities that there was dire need to provide maximum security in and around the oil installation.
Consequently, a combined team of armed soldiers and policemen were drafted to the area to beef up an already existing security arrangement; especially when the group which claimed responsibility for the attack threatened to launch a repeated one. It was on this premise that movement around the oil facility was restricted and a dusk to dawn patrol intensified.
Perhaps, these arrangements may not be known to 18 persons who were rounded up in a boat near the facility by naval personnel. They were said to be members of a militant group on a vision to vandalize oil installations. But the suspects flatly denied the allegation, insisting that they belong to a dreaded campus cult known as the Supreme Vikings, saying that they were innocently sailing when security agents swooped on them.
Reports say the suspects, who were spotted on a speed boat with red band tide around their heads, were surreptitiously moving towards the oil facility, chanting war songs when they were rounded up. They were promptly taken into custody.
Earlier, the porosity of the Atlas Cove and the need to beef up security has been raised by the manager of the depot, Engineer Anthony Onwuka. Engineer Onwuka had amongst other things raised security alarm on the urgent need to erect perimeter fencing and emergency take off and landing jetty when both the Chief of Defence and Naval Staff, Air Chief Marshal O. O. Petririn and Vice Admiral O. S. Ibrahim visited the oil facility on October 11, 2010.
He had said, “There is urgent need to construct additional observation post both within depot premises and along some strategically identified spots, along the sea side to check vandals’ activities through sea shore lines and creeks. As a matter of security, the Atlas Cove depot has no take-off and landing jetty. We presently operate at the absolute mercy and kindness of the army officers’ jetty opposite Onikan stadium.
But when the 18 suspected militants were paraded before pressmen by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Navy Command, Apapa Lagos, Rear Admiral E.O Ogbor, some of them who volunteered information claimed that they were neither members of MEND nor Niger Delta militants, stressing, however, that they belong to a dreaded university cult known as the ‘Supreme Vikings.’
They claimed that they were ‘sailing’ as is the custom after the initiation of new members into the confraternity. Said one them who gave his name as David and who also claimed that he was newly initiated into the confraternity, “I do not even know why we were in the sea because I was only initiated into the group just last week somewhere in Mushin area of Lagos. However, I paid N5,000 for this trip. Please do not reveal my identity because if they get to know, they will kill me and members of my family.
The only thing I was told was that we, the newly initiated members, were going on a trip on the sea to get acclimatized, learn signs and songs of the confraternity and become ‘hard men.’ It was in the process that we were arrested by the navy.”

But the Rear Admiral Ogbor who insisted that the suspects have a case to answer maintained that, “A patrol team of the Nigeria Navy drew from NNS Beecroft Naval base spotted and arrested some militants and pipeline vandals at Takwa Bay near the NNPC Atlas Cove facility. They were in a speed boat, tied their trade mark red headbands and were chanting war songs.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/11/fatal-voyage-how-18-cultists-sailed-into-troubled-waters/

the securities thought they've achieved something? rubbish

These are not militants, more likely Confra-Boys. Flog them well well and send them on thier way

@monkeyleg

Flog them well well ke, they should haul them to jail jare, those guys are as bad as robbers.

The Admiral should be ashamed of himself, calling these fellows 'millitants'. People who were not even carrying arms sef don turn to millitant.

@hercules07,

Yes I know confra boys are no good, but as far as I understand they have not commited any crime, but just to set them straight, good flogging with koboko and hot pepper. Those that try to resist should be giving real soja boot.

But seriously, they havent commited any crime, so why jail them

if nothing else, this is a good baptism of fire for these aspiring criminals - who may well graduate to become mend members - what are confraternities other than university style bloods and crips

some of them may have enough sense/fear/humiliation beaten into them to abandon this desire to terrorise , extort and rape their school mates

oyb:

if nothing else, this is a good baptism of fire for these aspiring criminals - who may well graduate to become mend members - what are confraternities other than university style bloods and crips

some of them may have enough sense/fear/humiliation beaten into them to abandon this desire to terrorise , extort and despoil their school mates

double speak

The last time i advocated for severe measures for militants/Okah

can you remember what you said?

something like the authorities shd ensure the rule of law

so what has changed now?

hehehehehe

oyb oyb

i am not defending the govt na

but is it not true - if some aspiring eiye boys i your school get caught by soldiers and paraded as armed robbers and beaten up and eventually released( they wil have no choice but to do so eventually) it will serve as a POWERFUL deterent, not only o them, but to other aspiring cultists

e no dey the same league as kangaroo court, imho , i don't think they are being charged with anything - and the admiral is just making mouth because he knows he has made a fool of himself.

These boys who call themselves cultists have to be careful sha

I was in one of the bloodiest University, I was a big boy in my time, attracted girls, played in my University football team and commanded the respect and loyalty of Schoolmates and friends who were both cultists and those who were not.

And yet I belonged to no cult, not even Kelgite. I was a member of Rotract Club and that was about it.

It is not impossible to be a big boy in University Campus without being a cultist.

These boys in the picture above are likely University Students and may be cultists. Unfortunately I think these boys simply got careless given the history of Nigerian waters and oil installations.

But if these boys have no guns or any form of dangerous weapons with them then the Navy have no choice but to let them go home.

Or at worst hand them over to the University disciplinary committee if their Uni have one.

mikeansy:

Or at worst hand them over to the University disciplinary committee if their Uni have one.

unfortunately, in the nigeria of today, disciplinary committee means they get expelled and are free to move to a new uni to continue.

that was how cultism came to unilorin

some punk fro ekpoma 'stone cold i think he was called 'was expelled and came to unilorin and set up big time. i had graduated, but i heard enough horror stories that used to be the provine of other schools.

until our unis start keeping records and blacklisting these menace II society thugs cultism will have its appeal.

oyb:

i am not defending the govt na

but is it not true - if some aspiring eiye boys i your school get caught by soldiers and paraded as armed robbers and beaten up and eventually released( they wil have no choice but to do so eventually) it will serve as a POWERFUL deterent, not only o them, but to other aspiring cultists

e no dey the same league as kangaroo court, imho , i don't think they are being charged with anything - and the admiral is just making mouth because he knows he has made a fool of himself.

so you dont think the extra judicial execution of Okah would reduce to a great extent the influence those retards call militants wield in the Delta region?

oyb:

unfortunately, in the nigeria of today, disciplinary committee means they get expelled and are free to move to a new uni to continue.

that was how cultism came to unilorin

some punk fro ekpoma 'stone cold i think he was called 'was expelled and came to unilorin and set up big time. i had graduated, but i heard enough horror stories that used to be the provine of other schools.

until our unis start keeping records and blacklisting these menace II society thugs cultism will have its appeal.

hahahaha

so many confra people were in your school b4 stone cold became a household name

all the eiye boiz, Asa and co were in your school b4 his reign

he only succeeded in shifting power from one group to the other through his organised way of wrecking havoc

nyways, off topic be dt

so na Ilorin u go?

correct!

Militant without arms,u arrest militant without resistant;militant singing while going on attack,this is pure insult to the militants,let the student go and attend their lectures,while the navy wait for real militants.

Aro baga! Yawa don gas, and no way to safety. Poor frat boys