Two suspected oil thieves were detained when anti-vandal squad members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Akwa Ibom State discovered an illicit fuel dump site in the state’s Eket Local Government Area.
In the early hours of Tuesday, October 11, 2022, under the direction of CSC Edem Sunday, they also seized 27 jerry cans, 130 drums filled with illegally produced or acquired diesel, five pumping machines, three generator sets, a brown Ford Ecoline van with the registration number AWK 583 SZ, and five pumping machines.
In a statement released by the command on Friday, its public relations officer, DSC Ekerette Friday, highlighted additional goods that had been confiscated, including 74 bags of DPK (kerosene) that totaled around 3,700 liters and seven hoses of various lengths.
He added that the structure used for the unlawful business is a 10-room flat located in a residential neighborhood of Ikot Udoma. He claimed that the suspects were utilizing the illegal location to store Automative Gas Oil (Diesel) and Dual Purpose Kerosene for distribution to other regions of the state.
“The ten-room flat used for the unlawful operation is situated in a neighborhood in Ikot Udoma. The structure was utilized to hide the illicit activity taking place in the backyard and the various rooms; it didn’t look like a fuel dump where extensive bunkering activities occurred.
The State Commandant, Suleiman Mafara, spoke to reporters during the parade of the suspects and exhibits and reaffirmed the NSCDC Commandant General, Dr. A.A. Audiresolve,’s to putting an end to the menace of oil theft, illicit bunkering/refining, and adulteration in the nation.
He claimed that the Federal Government was waging war on all fronts and that these criminals would soon have nowhere to hide.
The consequences of these crimes, he continued, are numerous. It is first and foremost an act of economic sabotage that deprives the nation of enormous money. Additionally, it harms the ecosystem, which has an adverse effect on fisheries and agriculture. And last, it is a catastrophe waiting to happen.
The state commandant of NSCDC urged the Akwa Ibom people to constantly provide the corps with reliable intelligence, pointing out that crime did not occur in a vacuum while announcing that the suspects would soon be tried in court.
He encouraged young people to start successful businesses while assuring them that any information they supplied to the corps would be treated with the strictest discretion.
