Troops of Operation Pulo Shield in the Niger Delta have arrested nine suspected crude oil thieves in the act of siphoning the product into their trucks. The suspects were said to be siphoning the product from an oil pipeline belonging to Midwestern Oil Company based in Ughelli, Delta State.
The nine suspects, said to be apprehended by troops of the OPS in Sector 1, 222 Battallion, Ughelli, were paraded on Thursday. During the parade of the suspects, Commander, OPS, with headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Major General Alani Okunlola, said the suspects were arrested by the troops on patrol of Ozoro/Owelogbo in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta.
The commander, who spoke through the Coordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre, Lt.Col. Isa Ado, said the suspects were arrested through “credible intelligence gathering” by the troops. Okunola gave the names of the apprehended suspects as Vincent Okafor, Garba Aliu, Michael Osuji, Uche Oriekofe and Victor Andrew.
Others, according to the Commander, are Lucky Ogwugwhuo, Chinedu Nwanegbo, Julius Okeh and Tari Jonathan. The OPS commander said the suspects were arrested along with a white/blue Passage wagon car with number plate IMO KGE 17 XD. He said the suspects were rounded up and arrested after preparing a bunkering site with valves and hoses to gain access to the oil company’s pipeline before loading onto trucks and tankers about 2.45am last Saturday.
Okunola indicated that the suspects confessed to getting assistance from some youths of the host community to gain access into the pipeline. The commander regretted that after arrests, prosecution had not been speedy enough, saying that over 900 had been in the custody of prosecuting agencies without prosecution.
Okunlola, who expressed concern over the development, advocated the setting up of special courts to try oil thieves and related criminals in the region. The commander said, “I want to reassure members of the public of the command’s renewed vigour and determination in the war against crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other criminal activities in oil-producing areas of Nigeria.
“The OPS has zero tolerance for oil theft and related offences. Our mandate is a continuous one aimed at eradicating illegal oil bunkering, sabotage of oil and gas installations in the creeks and waterways, among others.”
Confessing to the crime, the ring leader, Lucky Ogwugwhuo, said he went into the crime to enable him to raise money to cure himself of an undisclosed ailment. “I was pushed into the crime because of ill health,” he spoke regretfully.
-Punch
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