Ben Dunno, Warri
In line with the zero tolerance policy of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu on pipeline vandals, the police team attached to Petroleum Products and Marketing Company (PPMC), Warri depot, at the weekend arrested five persons in connection with illicit oil dealing.
Also impounded in an early hours operation to the hideout of the vandals at Okpurishigbene community, otherwise known as Crayfish Village in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, last weekend, were about 13,000 litres of locally refined diesel and four (4) speed boats.
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Speaking on the arrest, the Commander, IGP Task Force on Pipeline Vandalisation, PPMC depot, Warri Refinery, SP Mohammed El-Yakubu, disclosed that based on intelligence gathering, the command had kept a close watch on the activities at the vandal’s camp for quite a while.
According to him, “My men and I have been on the trail of this very cartel that specialises in converting stolen crude to cooked diesel for sometimes in this area and we immediately moved in to effect arrest when we were convinced it was appropriate to do so.”
“We wish to express our profound appreciation to our Commander in Abuja, CSP Abiba Adamu, who has shown so much commitment to our resolve to curb pipeline vandalism in our area of coverage by supporting all our operations to some romote areas within our coverage areas”.
“We also want to use this medium to appeal to the perpetrators of this illicit oil trade in this area to desist, as the command is all out to sanitize both the land and waterways within its coverage areas of this act of economic sabotage.”
While all the arrested suspects will be charged to court after investigations had been concluded, the impounded product would be handed over to PPMC for evacuation after it had been authorized by DPR for discounting, Yakubu stated.