The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Rivers State Command has arrested three suspected oil thieves with one large wooden boat and two vehicles laden with illegally refined petroleum products.
Parading the suspects at the Ogbogoro Exhibit Jetty in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, the State Commandant, Michael Ogar says following the dissolution and reconstitution of the Anti-vandal Unit across the federation, the Rivers State Command with a renewed vigour impounded a large wooden boat laden with about 24,000 litres of illegally refined petroleum products- Dual Purpose Kerosene, (DPK).
He explained that the suspects loaded the illegally refined petroleum products in cellophane and concealed them in sack bags.
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The NSCDC State Commandant noted that the products were carefully arranged in the wooden boat such that a layman would assume it to be a passenger boat but based on sustained intelligence the suspects: William Chen (29) male and Emmanuel Uriah (27) male were tactically double-crossed and arrested by the Corps’ Marine Team along Isaka creek off the new Calabar River axis in Rivers State.
In another development, the Land Patrol Team arrested one Anayo Obasi, aged 38, male with a yellow and lemon-coloured minibus laden with about 1,500 litres of illegally refined automotive gas oil (AGO) concealed in cellophane.
Commandant Ogar added that another Toyota Camry Car laden with about 1,500 litres of illegally refined automotive gas Oil (AGO) was impounded at Abonnema Wharf by UTC junction in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The Rivers NSCDC Boss while affirming that the suspects will be charged to court, calls on the public to provide the Command with credible and actionable Intelligence that would enhance the Command to clamp down on oil thieves in the State.
