Eight Alleged Oil Thieves Apprehended In Bayelsa Community

Eight Alleged Oil Thieves Apprehended In Bayelsa Community

The Bayelsa Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) has reported the arrest of eight individuals as part of its ongoing crackdown on oil theft in the state….READ ALSO

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the State Commandant of the NSCDC, Edenabu Eweka, disclosed that these suspects were nabbed during two separate operations conducted within the past week.

Eweka revealed that the corps successfully intercepted a truck containing 45,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) suspected to be illegally refined.

Providing further details on the arrests, he explained that three suspects were apprehended at an illegal refinery site in Kolo, located within the Ogbia Local Government Area (LGA) of Bayelsa. The truck they were found with had already been loaded with the unlawfully refined product.

During the second operation on February 11, five individuals suspected of pipeline vandalism were apprehended in the act at the Krokrosei-Azuzuama pipeline in the Southern Ijaw LGA of the state.

Eweka clarified that four out of the five suspects were identified as suspected vandals, while one was recognized as a buyer of the stolen crude oil.

“Our anti-oil theft and vandalism operations have yielded results with the seizure of the 45,000 litres of illegally refined AGO,” Eweka remarked.

“This sends a clear message to all those engaged in oil theft and vandalism that the NSCDC will not tolerate their illicit activities in Bayelsa. We will take them to court and prosecute them diligently,” he added.

Emphasizing the NSCDC’s commitment to environmental responsibility, the commandant stated that confiscated products are surrendered to the federal government upon suspects’ conviction. He underscored that incinerating seized products exacerbates environmental degradation.