Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Rivers State have arrested seven individuals suspected of oil theft.
The suspects were caught during an operation that also led to the impounding of a badge and three boats loaded with illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), commonly known as diesel.
According to the Commandant of the NSCDC Rivers State Command, Joachin Okafor, two of the suspects were apprehended while in the act of transferring AGO from the badge into cellophane bags, likely preparing the product for transportation to an undisclosed location.
The arrest occurred as part of the agency’s renewed crackdown on illegal oil activities in the state.
The suspects, along with the seized vessels, were paraded on Wednesday at the scene of the crime.
Commandant Okafor stressed that the arrests reflect the agency’s intensified efforts to combat oil theft and protect Nigeria’s valuable petroleum resources from economic saboteurs.
Okafor stated, “I am here to wage war against economic saboteurs siphoning crude oil through vandalism, operating illegal bunkering sites, and transporting illegally refined products. We will not allow such acts to continue undermining the nation’s economy.”
In a related operation, the NSCDC’s Marine Squad arrested five more suspects at the Tombia-Iwofe axis along the waterways.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were caught with three boats filled with an undetermined quantity of AGO.
“Our continued fight against crude oil theft is driven by our commitment to eradicating illegal bunkering activities in the coastal regions. Safeguarding the nation’s critical assets is our core mandate, and under my administration, the sanctity of the state’s oil sector will be restored,” Commandant Okafor affirmed.
He also reiterated that the Corps would conduct a thorough investigation to identify and prosecute the masterminds behind these illegal operations, with the suspects set to face legal action in court.
The NSCDC remains resolute in its mission to curb oil theft and its environmental and economic impacts, promising that “it will no longer be business as usual for oil thieves in Rivers State.”