The Bayelsa state command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), has paraded eight suspected oil thieves who were intercepted by officers of the command.
While on patrol, they uncovered the den of oil vandals in the heart of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital, in a building which was said to be owned by a former member of the federal House of Representatives.
As the officers searched the compound, they discovered Jerry cans, industrial cellophane bags, cellophane sealing machines; as well as a tricycle for transporting the product.
The commandant explained that occupants of the building all fled on the arrival of the officers of the NSCDC, except for one man who was caught before he could escape.
Militancy had resurged in the Niger Delta in 2015, with series of attacks on pipelines and oil installations, forcing some oil companies to declare force majeure.
A group that calls itself the Niger Delta Avengers has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks that have affected Nigeria’s oil output and power supply, which largely depends on gas from that region.
However, as the fight against pipeline vandalism and oil theft intensifies, there is the urgent need for more reorientation on the ills of engaging in this destructive trade.
