The Rivers State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has apprehended seven suspects involved in illegal petroleum activities and seized a barge along with three boats carrying Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
Addressing journalists at the crime scene near Woji Jetty in the Slaughter area of Port Harcourt, the State Commandant, Joachim Okafor, declared his intent to combat economic sabotage, including pipeline vandalism, illegal bunkering, and the transport of illegally refined products.
Okafor revealed that two suspects were arrested in connection with a barge carrying illegally refined AGO.
The suspects were caught transferring the product from the barge into cellophane bags for transport to an undisclosed destination.
The statement said five more suspects were apprehended by the Marine Squad at the Tombia-Iwofe axis along the waterways, adding that preliminary reports indicated that they were caught with three boats filled with unquantified litres of AGO.
In a statement issued by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Olufemi Ayodele, the NSCDC emphasized that their ongoing crackdown on crude oil theft is driven by their commitment to curbing illegal bunkering in the coastal regions and boosting the nation’s oil production.
The statement added that “a thorough investigation would be made to unravel those behind the unscrupulous acts”, while “the suspects would definitely have their time in the Court of competent jurisdiction.”
