By Palma Ileye
In a sustained onslaught against oil theft in the country, operatives of the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad, CG’s SIS, of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, have arrested five suspects for involvement in illegal dealings and siphoning of crude oil from the flowline.
The suspects, according to a press release issued by CSC Afolabi Babawale, the Corps’ National Spokesperson were arrested at a location known as “Sambisa Forest” in Umuedeokwara, Odagwa Community, Etche Local Government Area in Rivers State with 1 Manifold channelled inside a large dug-in reservoir and were packaged into cellophane nylons and sacks estimated to be over 100,000 litres.
The statement disclosed that the feat was recorded following credible intelligence tip-off from locals on the activities of the suspects in the area.
Consequently, Operatives of the squad swung into action and discovered that some economic saboteurs had stolen and syphoned crude oil into a large dug-in pit and packaged it in cellophane nylons and sacks around Rivers and Abia States boundaries, respectively.
Among those nabbed are Chukwudi Njoku, ‘m’, ’27yrs’, Sunday Michael, ‘m’, ’29yrs’, ‘m’, ’26’, Godspower Briggs, ‘m’, ’23yrs’, and ThankGod Saviour, ‘m’, ’31yrs’.
It stated that all the suspects confessed to the crime during a preliminary investigation carried out by the squad at the crime scene and afterwards.
NSCDC in the statement further disclosed exhibits recovered which include large quantities of siphoned Crude oil inside the dugged pit, nylons and sacks, as well as drums and jerrycans.
Others it listed were industrial hoses used for illegal connection activities, buckets, funnels, shovels, and other materials used for illegal activities.