Ten people, including a pregnant woman, and two minors have been arrested by the operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in Ondo State, for their alleged involvement in oil bunkering.
The suspects were arrested at Waterway in Iju-Osun, in Irele Local Government Area of the state with products suspected to be adulterated diesel.
Speaking on their arrest, the NSCDC State Commandant, Dr Hammed Abodunrin, said the suspects were arrested with the products suspected to be adulterated diesel.
Abodunrin explained that the quantity of the adulterated diesel is yet to be ascertained, but said the product was packed in drums, polythene bags and jerrycans loaded in four wooden boats.
According to the NSCDC boss, the arrest of the suspects was in response to the directive of the NSCDC Commandant-General to reorganise the corps’ anti-vandalism unit to strengthen its operations.
He said that the command had benefited from the recent deployment of gunboats to beep up operations in the waterways.
Abodunrin said “All these efforts have started yielding positive results. As of Sunday, 11 suspects were arrested with products suspected to be adulterated AGO.
“One of them is a heavily pregnant woman and two are minors, so we decided not to take them into custody because of their conditions.
“We have taken their statements, whenever we need them we will pick them up and we are going to conduct an investigation immediately and take them to court as soon as we conclude our investigation,”
The Ondo NSCDC boss said the suspects had refused to disclose the source of the product, where they got the consignment from and conveying it to.
He warned criminals to stay away from the state, as the corps was determined to track, arrest and prosecute them.
The NSCDC commandant urged members of the public to be vigilant and always give adequate information for the corps to stem vandalism of critical national assets in the state.
“It’s a renewed fight against oil theft, against economic sabotage and a renewed fight to ensure that citizens can be sure of what their country can give them,” he said.
One of the boat drivers while speaking with newsmen said it was his first time dealing in petroleum products and confessed that he was arrested with 20 drums of kerosene.
“I didn’t know that it’s illegal and I thought kerosene was what people could buy and sell.
I am not the one that really owns the product, I was driving an engine boat for someone,” he said.
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