The Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (GG’s SIS) stormed a swampy forest at Umuorie/Umukala community in Ukwa West LGA of Abia State acting on credible intelligence destroyed illegal refinery sites located inside the creek with over 20 local drum ovens in active operations.
While speaking to our correspondent, the CG’s SIS Commander, DC Appolos Dandaura, narrated the ordeal of the nefarious move by economic saboteurs in the area.
“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 explained further that while the suspects sighted our operatives, some manoeuvred taking to their heels, but we were able to apprehend two of the fleeing suspects, namely Endurance David, 16, and 13-year-old Abadiedot Micheal Anieke.
He hinted that among the exhibits recovered from the scene were several sizes of metallic galvanized pipes illegally connected to siphon crude oil, dug-in reservoirs, large quantities of crude oil stored in dug-in pits, different sizes of metal and plastic buckets, funnels, among other items.
To get to the root of the matter, the NSCDC Commandant General, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi mni, OFR, has tasked the Special Intelligence Squad to go after the fleeing members of the syndicate who are still at large while the two under-aged suspects are currently helping out in our investigations.