Lagos: Police receive 5 crude oil thieves from navy

Five suspected crude oil thieves, who were arrested by the Nigerian Navy, were on Friday handed over to the police in Lagos.

Commander of  the NNS  Beecroft, Apapa, Lagos, Commodore Kolawale Oguntuga, handed  over the suspects to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa at the police command headquarters in Ikeja

The naval chief said the suspects were arrested on the waterways in Itolu community, Lekki area of Lagos on Tuesday, by NNS operatives patrol team, stationed at Forward Operations Base (FOB) Lekki.

Commodore Oguntuga also added that  the operatives of the Nigerian Navy  heard  gunshots and in a swift response to a distress call by some youths in the area,

The suspects were arrested,  while other members of the gang, who were sighted in two other wooden boats, escaped immediately after the operatives arrived at the scene.

The commander said that the team recovered a boat engine and arrested four suspects wearing Tantitan Security Pipeline Surveillance employees and one boat operator.

He said; “Upon arrival at the scene, the naval team met four individuals dressed in black polo shirts with TANTITAN inscribed on their back, trying to recover a dismantled outboard engine.

“It was after their arrest that the patrol team realised that the four individuals were part of a movement of a large wooden boat with two fibre boats.”

The navy chief also added; “The four individuals beckoned on the two fibre boats to approach them, but when they noticed NN patrol teams, the boats altered courses, fled and abandoned the large wooden boat laden with 11 x 1000L Geepee tanks with product suspected to be stolen crude oil.

Oguntade said the suspects were handed over to the police as part of the synergies in crime fighting by NNS,  for further investigation and prosecution.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr Idowu Owohunwa, who received the suspects and exhibits commended the NNS for the synergy in crime fighting in Lagos State.

The police boss said; “We are taking the suspects for further investigation. We will track down those at large. This synergy is a continuous operation.”