The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered illegal refining of crude oil in the creeks at Odagwa community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Public Relations Officer of NSCDC, Babawale Afolabi, who made this known in a statement on Monday in Abuja, revealed that the feat was recorded by the Commandant General Special Intelligence Squad.
He noted that the Commandant General, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has vowed that the NSCDC under his watch would remain steadfast in fighting against oil theft, vandalism, and economic sabotage in the oil sector.
Audi reaffirmed his determination to wage a relentless war against those profiting from the oil regions through illegal dealings in petroleum products.
He spoke after his operational tour of the Niger Delta to boost the morale of the operatives, monitor major oil installations, and oversee anti-vandal operations in the waterways.
Speaking through the National Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, the NSCDC Boss decried the situation in Odagwa community in Etche, Rivers State, where the Commandant General Special Intelligence Squad had earlier fought and vehemently resisted the illegal operations of pipeline vandals, noting that the Corps is poised to identify their sponsors and prosecute them according to the extant laws of the federation.
He said the CG’s SIS, led by Commandant AS Dandaura, has made remarkable and undeniable achievements in combating crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, as over 65 oil dumps and illegal refineries have been dismantled lately.
“While monitoring oil installations and facilities across the Niger Delta, our men responded swiftly to an intelligence tip-off that there has been an organised operation of illegal refining of crude oil ongoing in the creeks at Odagwa Community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.
“Upon arrival, the CG’s SIS discovered that vandals had maneuvered through the creeks and accessed the main oil trunk line, connected their installed pipes, and channeled the crude into reservoirs. It was then directed through a cooking process and later packaged and bagged in cellophane nylons and kegs.
“As they sighted our men from afar, the suspects took to their heels while the operatives uncovered the local illegal refining process at the site, with end products of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and DPK littered on the ground,” he stated.
According to the statement, exhibits recovered at the crime scene include large quantities of already siphoned stolen crude oil packaged in cellophane bags and kegs, materials used for refining crude oil illegally, several galvanised metal pipes, abandoned clothing and other personal effects, metal buckets, among others.
The CG, however, called on the public to continue providing the Corps with credible intelligence.
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