NSCDC uncovers illegal bunkering site in Rivers

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’SIS) has uncovered an illegal bunkering site where stolen crude oil was tapped, channelled to reservoirs, and refined locally in a thick forest at Umuedeokwara Community, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Public Relations Officer of NSCDC, Babawale Afolabi, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to him, the CG’s Special Intelligence Squad Commander, Deputy Commandant Appolos Dandaura, hinted that the squad acted based on sustained intelligence, which revealed that a gang of criminal elements was operating an illegal refinery at the crime scene.

He expressed the full determination and relentless efforts of the Corps to salvage the nation from economic saboteurs in the oil region.

“Like we always reiterate that our operations are intelligence-based and we value every piece of information and preserve the integrity of our informants, we swung into action, combed the entire forest, and discovered where the suspects were refining crude oil locally after storage in large trampoline reservoirs and further packaged them in cellophane bags and sacks.

“These unscrupulous saboteurs connected fabricated and galvanised metallic pipes to the trunk lines of multinational oil pipeline installations with inserted valves; the suspects, however, took to their heels through the creeks due to the terrain upon sighting our men.

“The following exhibits were marked at the crime scene: about 20,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) stored in cellophane bags, large quantities of syphoned crude oil stored in tarpaulin reservoirs, different sizes of aluminium and plastic buckets, galvanised metallic fabricated pipes, heavy-duty industrial hoses, and items of clothing belonging to the suspects.”.

Appolos Dandaura reaffirmed the matching order of the Commandant General, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, on the need to smoke out illegal bunkers and effect massive arrests for possible prosecution, frustrating their continuous efforts to sabotage the economy and to increase oil production in the nation.

He said the fight against illegal dealings in petroleum products is without compromise, as the CG’SIS will not rest in combating the menace of crude oil theft across the board.

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