Two suspected oil thieves have been arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who also dismantled several illegal refineries in the Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State.
According to a statement from Babawale Afolabi, the Corps' Public Relations Officer in Abuja, the operatives targeted a swampy forest in the Umuorie/Umukala community, where they destroyed illegal refinery sites containing over 20 active local drum ovens."
The operation was conducted by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad, which aims to combat the activities of oil thieves and economic saboteurs.
Afolabi stated that the Commander of the Intelligence Squad, DC Appolos Dandaura, reaffirmed the Squad's dedication to eliminating the harmful activities of economic saboteurs in the region.
“This arrest is one of the numerous ongoing operations aimed at checkmating all forms of illegal oil bunkering activities and crude theft in Abia State.
“We swiftly acted on the credible intelligence information at our disposal and while combing the entire area we stormed a swampy forest where an artisanal oil refinery site was located; you need to see the way these criminal-minded suspects were tapping and siphoning crude oil from the installed wellheads domiciled around the pipelines by the NPDC at Umuorie in the ASA/Ibuzor axis of Ukwa West LGA of the State”.
DC Apollos further explained that when the suspects spotted the operatives, they attempted to flee, but two were captured. He identified them as 16-year-old Endurance David and 13-year-old Abadiedot Micheal Anieke.
He noted that among the items seized at the scene were various sizes of metallic galvanized pipes connected illegally to siphon crude oil, dug-in reservoirs, and large quantities of crude oil stored in pits, as well as assorted metal and plastic buckets, funnels, and other related materials.
He further stated that ongoing investigations are being conducted to gather more evidence and information related to the case.
He also emphasized that the process is crucial to ensure a thorough understanding of the situation.
"Once the investigation is completed and all relevant details have been collected, the suspects will be subject to prosecution based on the findings, ensuring that justice is served for their involvement in the illegal activities" he stated.
