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From Joseph Obukata, Warri
Eight alleged oil thieves have been paraded by the Delta State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps between Warri, Sapele, and the Ogwashi-Uku area of the state.
The arrest comes just 24 hours after the Delta State Commandant of the Corps, Akinsanya Iskilu Abiodun, established the Commandant Special Tactical Team, known as “Operation Show No Mercy To Crude Cil Thieves, Pipeline Vandals, Amongst Other Crimes and Criminalities in the State.”
The suspects who were paraded in Warri over the weekend were caught illegally dealing in petroleum products, including Automated Gasoline Oil AGO and Dual Purpose Kerosine DPK, along the Warri Sapele road.
According to the Corp Public Relations Officer, Dsc Emeka Peters Okwechime, the operation was in response to a presidential order given to the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Dr. Abubakar Audi Ahmed, ordering him to stop the theft of crude oil and the vandalism of oil pipelines by the end of December 2022 at the latest.
As a result of the instructions, according to Okwechime, the CG ordered all state commandants to mercilessly crush and destroy any pipeline vandals and crude oil thieves in their respective states.
Salisu Ibrahim, 22, Idris Ilia, 23, and Usman Adam, 32, were among the suspects paraded before journalists in Warri by Okwechime. The suspects had been detained for a variety of crimes committed throughout the State.
The team also busted and sealed up an illegal dump site near the Niger Cat junction in Uvwie LGA of Delta State, according to DSC Okwechime. This site was used to illegally store and deal in Automated Gasoline Oil, or AGO.
He claimed that the operation resulted in the capture of two additional suspects, Aminu Garuba, 32, and Usman Tasiu, 19 years old.
Along the Warri Sapele highway, the team also pounced on black marketers suspected of dealing in Automated Gasoline Oil (AGO), destroying several drums of the illegally refined fuel and arresting two suspects.
One Mrs. Blessing Ojewale, 40 years old, was also paraded by the NSCDC image maker. She was suspected of illegally dealing in Dual Purpose Kerosine DPK, which was suspected to be concealed in about 30 polythene sacks and loaded into a Toyota Sienna bus with the registration number LSR 832 CZ.
The driver fled into the bush when he saw the NSCDC men on the 12th of September 2022 at about 1600 hours while she was detained by the Commandant Special Tactical Team at Ebendo along Kwale Road.
Similar to this, on September 12, 2022, at around 1930 hrs., the Commandant Special Tactical Team arrested one Mr. Idogor Sunday at Kwale Junction in Ogwashi uku along the Asaba Kwale highway. He was found in possession of about 27 numbers of 25 liter Jerry cans of petroleum product suspected to be Dual Purpose Kerosene DPK loaded in a Mitsubishi Space Runner bus with Registration Number CL 374 ABC.
He declared that sting operations and raids would continue until the State was free of crude oil thieves and pipeline vandals.
According to Okwechime, the suspects will be charged with crimes after the investigation is complete so they can face the full force of the law and act as a deterrent to potential criminals.
