The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has scored a significant victory against oil theft with the arrest of nine individuals.
They were allegedly involved in illegal refining activities at an unauthorised facility nestled deep within the forested border region between Rivers and Abia States.
This development was disclosed by the NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, in a statement released on Monday from the command’s headquarters in Abuja.
The operation, which unfolded following a vigilant surveillance effort, stemmed from the NSCDC’s discovery of yet another illicit refining site over the weekend.
Located in the Adobi settlement within the Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, this site harbored over 100,000 litres of stolen crude oil.
Afolabi outlined that the apprehended suspects, spanning ages between 20 and 53 years, were allegedly caught red-handed in the process of refining stolen crude oil sourced from a vandalized oil wellhead.
Notably, the illicit site also boasted an ongoing construction project aimed at establishing a local refinery capable of processing a staggering 60,000 litres of crude oil in a single batch.
“We apprehended nine suspects caught in the act of illegally refining stolen crude extracted from a vandalized oil wellhead,” Afolabi affirmed, underscoring the extent of the operation’s sophistication.
The illicit refinery complex, replete with an array of infrastructure, showcased the intricate network employed by the syndicate to facilitate their criminal enterprise.
Large hoses, galvanized metal pipes, and assorted machinery were among the seized items, illuminating the elaborate nature of the illicit operation.
The suspects, identified as Oghene Wede (32), Moses James (25), Chidi Nwosu (53), Samuel John (24), Emmanuel Paul (20), Oghenevo Nwebi (43), Martina Whinnypeter (38), Nwabuchi Nwogu (41), and David Okere (20), were apprehended alongside various exhibits indicative of their illicit activities.
“Exhibits recovered include an RWD 5.0 GFE-6500 power generating set, two yellow-coloured pumping machines, metal and plastic buckets, cutlasses, saws, mats, welding machines, galvanized metal pipes, and different heavy-duty hoses,” Afolabi enumerated, shedding light on the arsenal employed by the syndicate.
Interrogations of the apprehended suspects are currently underway, with plans to prosecute them in a court of law upon the conclusion of the investigation.
