The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has announced the successful destruction of over 600,000 liters of illegal crude oil products as part of a nationwide operation that began in January, targeting various locations across the country.
The corp in a statement on Thursday, outlined the recent activities and achievements.
The statement disclosed that the NSCDC officers apprehended 51 suspects for various crimes in the last six months.
In the operation involving illegal refineries, the statement disclosed that the NSCDC destroyed six illegal refineries with about 500,000 litres of illegally sourced crude oil, leading to the arrest of five suspects and confiscation of locally fabricated ovens, at Odagwa, in the Etche lga area of Rivers State, on March 25.
Also, the operatives arrested one suspect in an operation that led to the destruction of one long pour-put boat containing over 20,000 litres of suspected illegally refined and adulterated AGO as well as the destruction of several surface plastic tanks, drums and other galvanised pipes/hoses at the Ubeaku waterside area of Abia State on Thursday, March 28.
In a separate operation, operatives of the security outfit discovered an illegal bunkering site and construction site of two large locally fabricated pour-put boats used for conveying suspected bunkering products, leading to the destruction of over 9,000 litres of suspected illegally refined AGO at the Inhandu community of Ukwa East in Abia State, on Friday, March 29.
The statement added other operations led to the discovery of several illegally tapped pipes to oil trunk lines for crude oil theft, destruction of a large expanse of illegal refinery sites where suspected illegally refined AGO is being cooked, destruction of over 95,000 litres of illegally refined AGO inside locally fabricated storage reservoirs, destruction of large quantities of stolen and syphoned crude oil and other materials, at Otulu community, in Egbema West of Ohaji/Egbema LGA, Imo State on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
“Discovery of illegal tapping points and syphoning of petroleum products at Obiafu-Obrikom gas pipeline, near Omuku town, in Rivers State on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
“Discovery of illegal refinery and tapping point at a wellhead, connected and diverted to an illegal refinery (cooking site) through the use of galvanised pipes mounted for diversion of crude oil from oil wellhead and destruction of large quantities of stolen crude oil and illegally refined AGO at the Adobi forest, Odagwa community, Etche LGA, Rivers State at about 0825hrs of Friday, April 5, 2024.”
In a various of other crime-related activities, the civil defence officers arrested one Abdullahi Ibrahim, a 44-year-old logistics supplier to bandits, kidnappers, thieves, and other criminal elements around Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State, hence his urgent transfer to defence headquarters for further action on January 29.
The three suspects were also apprehended after impounding a container body truck, at the Keffi flyover, in the Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on February 10.
“Arrest of 10 suspects, impounding of four open container body trucks ladened with a large number of railway tracks and slippers, along the Kagarko-Jere road, Kaduna State, and Keffi- Abuja Expressway, at about 3:20hrs of Wednesday, February 14 to 15, 2024, by the Commandant General’s special intelligence squad.”
Also, the statement reported the arrest of four individuals and the seizure of a long open-body truck carrying a large quantity of railway tracks near African Natural Resources and Steel Limited in Gujjeni, Kaduna State, on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at approximately 5:43 pm.
