We are charged to destroy any adulterated products seized from vandals — NSCDC CG
By Amaike Ihuoma Okoronkwo, Port Harcourt
The Nigerian Securities and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC Rivers State Command has paraded over 40 suspected oil thieves, apprehended over 10 trucks, 9 boats, 69 jerry cans, drums, 100 petroleum pipes including a sewage truck recently arrested by men of its command for pipeline vandalism and other offences capable of damaging the nations critical national assets and infrastructure.
Speaking to reporters at the commands state headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Commandant General of the federation Ahmed Abubakar Audi emphasized that no member of the public with such criminal intention to damage the nations critical national assets and infrastructure would go free except they travel out of Nigeria, otherwise, his men are ever ready to deal decisively with them.
According to Audi, men under his command in their different units are by order instructed by the federal government to destroy any of such adulterated products seized from these vandals.
Being an act of economic sabotage, the CG maintained that these oil thieves would have his men to contend with because they have been armed and ready to go to any length within their jurisdiction to arrest and prosecute these enemies of national economy.
At their base in Ogbogoro Waterside, the CG took the journalists round and conducted an on-the-spot analysis where a variety of boats, canoes, containers and submarine equipment seized by his men from the vandals were kept.
He narrated how the vandals made illegal use of the Ogbogoro jetty for their illegal business until his men arrested them and took over the base from them. Samples of the adulterated products found in some of the seized cotonou boats, some other remnants found in some jerry cans, drums and submarine equipment according to the CG have been confiscated to the federal government through the NSCDC command.
At Iriebe where the command share the exhibit yard with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, more that 175 trucks arrested are undergoing investigations with loads of the adulterated products loaded even more than the loading capacity of the seized trucks.
Most of the trucks carrying adulterated products had leakages which make it dangerous to the environment and hazardous to health. The use of sewage trucks, loading more that the actual capacity of the trucks and rebranding of trucks by the vandals to become ‘Dangote trucks’ are some tricks known by men of its command.
The NSCDC in addition to the above had arrested 7 pumping machines, 7 Yamaha engines, and others. The suspects are currently going through thorough investigations and soon will be prosecuted. The seized trucks and other equipment are already forfeited to the federal government.
“These oil thieves after stealing the product, removed these oil pipes as you can see more than one hundred pipes. They now sell it and my men caught them with these pipes and also arrested the suspects’ . Let me use this opportunity to appeal to journalists and members of the public, if you see something please say something,” he concluded.
