The crack operatives of the NSCDC’s Commandant General Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS) have arrested one of the high-profile pipeline vandals in the country.
During the sting operation, one 43-year-old AbdulRauf Lawal and 6 others were arrested at Adobi Swampy Forest in Odagwa, Etche Local Government Area of the Rivers State.
This outstanding achievement is in continuation of the Corps’ resolve to salvage the nation’s economy from crude oil thieves.
“The CG’s Special Intelligence Squad acted on a tip-off and stormed the forest where the criminal elements had re-launched their nefarious operations of illegal oil bunkering by constructing a massive surface trampoline reservoir and loaded it with stolen crude oil that was syphoned from the installed well-head 10”
“In furtherance; these unscrupulous elements still mounted two separate local ovens inside the thick and swampy forest of Adobi community in Odagwa Town, Etche LGA of Rivers State.
“During the raid, the CG’s Special Intelligence Squad operatives were able to discover many surfaces of Tampauline reservoirs and local cooking ovens ladened with large quantities of stolen crude oil already syphoned through connection to an illegal refinery site located around the Imo/Rivers 11 Flow Station in Adobi Swampy Forest at Odahwa Etche Local government area of Rivers State”
‘Consequently, a big reservoir where stolen crude oil has been stored was detected and seven suspects were rounded up”
“In the course of the operation, a very notorious and most wanted pipeline vandal and oil thief was captured alongside six other suspects for their different levels of involvement in an offence of illegal dealings in petroleum products ranging from boiler, carrier, and buyer of the stolen crude oil”.
The arrested suspects are:
1. Abdulrauf Lawal, ‘( ring leader), m’, ’43yrs’, an indigene of Maiduguri Municipal Council MMC, Borno State. [Owner of the surface trampoline with stolen crude oil & illegal bunkering camp].
2. Okechukwu Princewill, ‘m’, ’19yrs’, from Nsiala Ngwa LGA of Abia State. [Collaborator/Welder engaged to pump the stolen crude oil into the tarpaulin reservoirs]
3. Samuel Chukwuma Nwogu, ‘m’, ’40yrs’, an indigene of Etche LGA of Rivers State.
4. Ndubuisi Emmanuel, ‘m’, ’23yrs’, from Afikpo North LGA, Ebonyi state.
5. Samuel Okon Ebong, ‘m’, ’19yrs’, an indigene Ikot Ekpene LGA, Akwa Ibom State.
6. Happiness Monday, ‘f’, ‘m’, ’35yrs’, from Ikah LGA”
In the meantime; other items recovered from the scene of the incidents include: a large quantities of stolen crude oil filled inside the boat, a big wooden boat, many 6-inch industrial hoses that were used to illegally connect to the installed well-head, several instruments & tools abandoned inside the artisanal oil refining camp situated inside the swampy forest, newly purchased drums ready to be used in the construction of local cooking drum ovens
Thorough investigations are ongoing to track down another accomplice, after which they would be charged to a court of competent jurisdiction.