A Sierra Leonean firm, Prima Maritime Logistics Consultancy & Services Limited, has urged the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to intervene in recovering a debt of $876,462 allegedly owed by Bizonal Success Nigeria Limited ¹. This debt stems from the 17-month towing of MT Ngol Dande 1 from Luanda Port, Angola, to Nigerian waters.
Through its legal representatives, Vitalis Ahaotu Chambers, Prima Maritime is also seeking NIMASA’s assistance in preventing Bizonal Success and its CEO, Alhaji Yinusa Abioye Bola, from scrapping MT Ngol Dande 1, a critical piece of evidence for Prima Maritime’s claim. Vitalis Ashaotu, head of the legal chambers, revealed that Prima Maritime had entered into a Tripartite Agreement with Fiba Networks Limited and Perculiar Steel and Power Limited for the operation and management of MV Aaliyah (Baracuda), a Sierra Leone-registered vessel.
The Towage Agreement between Perculiar Steel and Power Limited and Bizonal Success Nigeria Limited stipulated a lump sum payment and a daily delay charge of $3,000. However, upon MV Aaliyah’s arrival in Angola in 2023, the crew was arrested and accused of being sea pirates due to allegedly fraudulent documents provided by Alhaji Bola for MT Ngol Dande 1.
Following the crew’s release, Alhaji Bola reportedly took €11,000 meant for bunker purchase and has yet to return the funds. Prima Maritime later discovered that the vessels Alhaji Bola claimed to have bought were stolen, though he failed to disclose this prior to the towage agreement.
After resolving the legal issues, MV Aaliyah successfully towed MT Ngol Dande 1 to Nigerian waters, arriving on July 31, 2024. Since then, Alhaji Bola has allegedly refused to pay the agreed sum. Reports also indicate that Bizonal Success is rapidly scrapping MT Ngol Dande 1, Prima Maritime’s key evidence for recovering the debt.
Furthermore, Prima Maritime alleges that certain NIMASA staff may be complicit in this situation, as there has been no official documentation for MT Ngol Dande 1 to operate or berth in Nigeria, nor was it registered with NIMASA, Customs, Immigration, or the Navy.
Prima Maritime is calling on NIMASA to ensure that Bizonal Success Nigeria Limited pays the outstanding $876,462 to settle wages owed to its seafarers. Failure to resolve this issue may strain relations between Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
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