Sylvester Idowu in Warri
Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Delta State Command, have arrested three oil thieves with about 16,000 litres of stolen products suspected to be refined diesel.
The Delta State Commandant of the NSCDC, Jimoh Suleiman, disclosed that the suspects and the illegally refined product were apprehended aboard a large wooden boat popularly known as Cotonou boat.
Speaking with journalists yesterday evening while parading the suspects, the commandant said that they were intercepted last Sunday within the neighborhood of Madagho Community in Warri South West Local Government Area of the state.
He said that NSCDC operatives had been on the trail of the suspects in the past three days before they were eventually arrested.
According to him,”I am here to parade the three suspects we arrested on April 21, 2024, at about 0236 hours at Shell Escravos area around Madagho village settlement.
“My boys have been out for more than three days on the trail of the suspects before we were fortunate to arrest them on Sunday.
“They were apprehended alongside nine GP tanks with four of the tanks loaded with products, two pumping machines, a generator and a counting machine.
“For you to arrest suspects with pumping and counting machines with a lot of products (refined), not black, for us to say it is locally refined. It is obvious that this product was vandalised somewhere, the suspects tampered with the pipelines.”
Suleiman, however, said that the feat was an indication that his personnel were committed to fighting oil thieves who were hell bent on sabotaging the nation’s economy.
He warned criminals to desist from the Delta creeks declaring that they were out against them.
He said: “We are not relenting and we will not relent; we are not sleeping and we will not sleep. Others who are having the plan to sabotage the economy should move away from Delta because we are out for them.”
