For the umpteenth time within a year, BUA has yet been in the news for the wrong reasons as a vessel laden with products belonging to the company was on Monday intercepted by the Nigeria Navy Force in Port Harcourt waters, Rivers State, South-South Nigeria.
In a troubling development for Nigeria’s prominent conglomerate, BUA Group, a new drug trafficking scandal has emerged, drawing troubling parallels with a previous unresolved case involving the company. This unfolding story revolves around the interception of the vessel MV HALIL SAHIN by the Nigerian Navy in the port city of Port Harcourt, raising suspicions of cocaine smuggling as of the latest report.
Truth Live News gathered from reliable source within the Navy that the timeline of events began when MV HALIL SAHIN was seized by the Nigerian Navy at approximately 15:00hrs GMT. The interception, reminiscent of a previous case, was initiated based on information shared by Interpol. However, at this point, confirmation of the illicit cargo remains pending, as authorities prepare to conduct thorough searches.
Initial indications suggest that the vessel, ostensibly transporting sugar products, has ties to BUA Group, a major player in Nigeria’s corporate landscape. The same charterers/partners involved in this shipment have links to BUA, creating a web of intrigue surrounding the conglomerate.
This incident raises alarming questions, particularly given BUA Group’s previous involvement in an unsolved transnational drug smuggling case. In December 2022, a Lagos Federal High Court controversially acquitted seven Indian citizens and one Nigerian accused of illegally importing cocaine into Nigeria. The details of how these drugs found their way into cargo destined for BUA Group remained shrouded in mystery.
The recent discovery by the Navy intensifies speculation that BUA Group may have a more significant role in the smuggling of hard drugs into Nigeria than previously believed.
An investigation carried out by crime correspondents in London and Lagos unveiled a complex web of involvement. While the foreign nationals aboard MV HALIL SAHIN were acquitted, the clearing agents tasked with handling the sugar-laden vessel were declared wanted. Notably, neither the vessel’s charterer, Sea Pioneer Ltd based in the UK, nor BUA International Ltd, the importers and consignees of the products containing cocaine, were implicated in the case from beginning to end.
Efforts to gain perspective from Sea Pioneer Ltd’s London office were met with silence, as the Turkish owner, Mr. Tumkaya Cemil, remained unavailable due to meetings.
Justice Ayokunle Faji, presiding over the Federal High Court case related to the previous drug smuggling incident, cleared the vessel crew, all Indian nationals, following their no-case submissions. This marked a significant turn of events in a case that initially involved allegations of conspiracy and unlawful importation of 43.1 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.
Another intriguing twist reveals that Kunle Animanshaun, the operations manager at Oilways Logistics and Energy Ltd, received the contract to discharge MV SPAR SCORPIO, laden with bulk sugar for BUA sugar refinery. Animanshaun, seeking approval from the NDLEA, dutifully informed them about the cargo’s origin, destination, and its unexpected contents—cocaine.
Critical questions loom over this convoluted narrative: At what juncture did Oilways Logistics and Energy Ltd and its MD, Franklyn Pereowei Godwin, become suspects when their responsibility was solely to discharge and deliver to BUA? Equally perplexing is the absence of any mention of BUA or the vessel owners/charterers in this unfolding drama.
As investigations near completion, it is expected that these questions will find answers, shedding light on the intricate web of circumstances that continue to engulf BUA Group in controversy. Justice Faji has set dates for further proceedings, indicating that this story is far from over.