Oil theft barge sunk in Nigeria

A barge laden with thousands of tonnes of stolen oil has sunk off the coast of Nigeria, a military spokesman has said.

The barge was scuttled by its crew who fled before they could be arrested, Lt Col Rabe Abubakar told the BBC.

Crude oil theft, known as “bunkering”, costs Nigeria billion of dollars in lost revenue every year.

The thieves, who often have strong connections to political and military figures, were tipped off that they were being pursued by the military.