NSCDC uncovers 10 illegal refineries, arrests five suspects in Rivers

Operatives attached to the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Rivers State Command have uncovered 10 illegal refineries at Odagwa Community in Etche Local Council of the state.

The facilities have an estimated 500,000 litres of crude oil contained in about 50 illegally constructed reservoirs. Spokesperson for the Command, Olufemi Ayodele, in a statement yesterday, said personnel on an operational tour across the large thick forest discovered about 10 different cooking pots of 50,000 litres and one big pumping machine.

Ayodele noted that five suspects were arrested in the raid while the team recovered receiver tanks, 25 rubber hoses used for pumping crude oil and many long galvanised pipes with unqualified litres of crude oil.

They also saw illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) stored in six very large reservoirs and other 20 smaller reservoirs dug in the ground. He said the arrested suspects are in custody for further investigation and possible prosecution.

They are Favour Chukwu, ‘m’ 29 , Desmond Umeh, ‘m’, 25, Godwin Amos ‘m’, 22, Bineace Galion, ‘m’, 38 and Goodnews David, ‘m’ 23. He said: “The unscrupulous elements tapped into the oil well head of Heirs Energies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) located around Imo River 2 Oil and Gas field at Odagwa in Etche, through different channels

“They inserted their galvanised pipes and syphoned crude oil while processing them within the premises without recourse.” Condemning the act, the Rivers State Commandant, Basil Igwebueze, thanked the Commandant General, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, for commissioning the Special Intelligence Squad who have been working relentlessly across states of the federation to combat the menace of illegal dealings in petroleum products, crude oil theft, vandalism of railway lines among others.

He said: “The uncovering of this massive illegal oil bunkering site is a landmark achievement and an indication that NSCDC as the lead agency in the protection of all critical national assets and infrastructure will continue to combat crude oil theft with a renewed vigour even as we work in synergy with sisters security agencies to salvage the nation’s economy from saboteurs.

“Let me reassure you that thorough investigation has commenced to unravel those behind the scene, while all suspects arrested in connection with this act of vandalism and crude oil theft would be charged to court and their sponsors or cartels trailed and brought to book without compromise.”