The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has impounded a long caravan truck with an in-built tank, fully loaded with stolen crude oil, in Port Harcourt.
The truck was intercepted by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’S SIS) of the NSCDC while in transit around the Eleme flyover in Elelewon, Port Harcourt.
A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, Babawale Afolabi, on Monday in Abuja, said the special squad acted swiftly in response to an intelligence tip-off to effect the arrest.
“Acting on the Commandant General’s marching orders to forestall incidents of pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, and illegal dealings in petroleum products in the Niger Delta, the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’S SIS), in a swift response to an intelligence tip-off, has impounded a long caravan truck with an in-built tank, fully loaded with stolen crude oil,” Afolabi stated.
He noted that CG’S SIS Commandant, AS Dandaura, in an interview, disclosed that his men were swiftly deployed to the crime scene and, upon arrival, they impounded a red-head navy-blue container truck with registration number AGL574XY, which was fully loaded with siphoned stolen crude, illegally drawn from vandalized well-heads and destroyed installed pipelines.
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He revealed that the suspects took to their heels as the operatives approached the scene of the crime.
Afolabi, in the statement, added that the Corps has taken possession of the exhibits as an investigative process has been launched to track down the syndicate responsible for the heinous act of economic sabotage.
“For the record, the exhibits recovered at the point of arrest are: a red-head and navy-blue container with 10 tires (Reg. No. AGL574XY) and an estimated content of about 70,000 liters of stolen crude.
“Hence, upon the completion of a thorough investigation, the NSCDC would file for the forfeiture of the mode of conveyance and the contents at a court of competent jurisdiction. Thereafter, the proceeds would be remitted to the Proceeds of Crime Account (POCA),” Afolabi stated.
The CG’S SIS Commander further expressed the commitment of the squad to continue waging a relentless war against oil thieves and their sponsors, affirming that any arrested suspects would be brought to justice after a diligent investigation.
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