The Rivers State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested five suspects following a mysterious fire that razed its exhibit yard.
The fire destroyed impounded trucks laden with illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) at the yard located in Iriebe, Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSC. Olufemi Ayodele, in a statement on Tuesday, explained parts of the exhibits were already forfeited by a court order.
He said that the affected yard was allocated to the Rivers command about 10 years ago following the increasing number of impounded trucks linked to illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism and illegal refining of petroleum products.
He said the then government ordered the relocation of such exhibits from the command’s headquarters to the exhibit yard to stop the disruption of vehicular movements.
The statement further quoted the NSCDC Assistant Commandant-General in charge of Zone L comprising Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, ACG James Bassey as describing the incident as unfortunate.
Bassey linked the inferno to intensified efforts of the Rivers command to fight against vandalism and oil theft, which he said had led to the arrests and prosecution of many suspects.