Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Rivers State Command on Marine and land Patrol, have arrested three suspects with one large wooden boat and two vehicles laden with illegally refined petroleum products.
Parading the suspects at the Ogbogoro Exhibit Jetty in the state at the weekend, the state Commandant, Michael Ogar said the suspects loaded the illegally refined petroleum products in cellophane and concealed them in sack bags.
He said: “The products were carefully arranged in the wooden boat such that a layman would assume it as a passenger boat but based on sustained intelligence the suspects: William Chen, 29, ‘m’ and Emmanuel Uriah, 27, ‘m’ were tactically double-crossed and arrested by our marine team along Isaka creek off the new Calabar River axis in Rivers State.
“In another development, the land patrol team arrested one Anayo Obasi, 38, ‘m’ for illegal dealings in petroleum products.
The suspect was apprehended with a yellow and lemon coloured minibus marked AB BND 82 ZM laden with about 1,500 litres of illegally refined automotive gas oil (AGO) concealed in cellophane.”
He added that “another Toyota Camry Car with plate number LA GN 76 LND laden with about 1,500 litres of illegally refined automotive gas Oil (AGO) was impounded at Abonnema Wharf by UTC junction.”
MEANWHILE, residents of Okobe Community in Ahoada West Local Council of Rivers State have expressed fear over the alleged killing of two people by security men attached to a pipeline surveillance team of the Nigeria Agip Oil Company, (NAOC).
The Guardian gathered that the security team also burnt down about three houses in the area during the operation in the community between Friday and Saturday.
A source in the area hinted on Tuesday that the community had been under fire by the surveillance team led by one Mr. Brown, adding that over 10 people from the community have been arrested.
Speaking on the development, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Tuduru Ede, who hails from the community, condemned the development, urging Agip to call its surveillance team to order.
Ede regretted that the invasion has affected economic and social activities in the area, noting that many persons have deserted the community.
He condemned what he termed the indiscriminate arrest of people known to be from Okwobe, adding that people of the area do not indulge in illegal oil bunkering.
Ede urged Abili Nigeria Limited, the surveillance company, to move to the pipelines, where the oil thieves operate to tackle theft and vacate the community, adding that the development has sacked many residents from the community.
