May 31, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has carried out a raid on an illegal oil storage site used by vandals to refine Automotive Gas Oil, also known as diesel, in Lagos.
Consequently, 19 suspected members of the syndicate, including a female, were arrested.
No fewer than 81 trucks and nine buses used for conveying the products to different parts of the South-West were recovered.
Also, 140 drums containing illegally refined AGO, 15 power generating sets ,12 pumping machines, 25 surface tanks and the sum of N4 million in cash found in one of the cars belonging to the syndicate, were recovered.
Explaining how the syndicate was smashed, the spokesman for the NSCDC, Assistant Superintendent of Corps, ASCI Abolurin Olumide, said the Commandant-General’s Special Intelligence Squad stormed Etal Avenue, off Kudira, Abiola way, Oregun in the Ikeja area of Lagos at about 12.18 am on Monday, following intelligence reports on the illegal oil storage site.
Olumide said, “The Commandant-General’s Special Intelligence Squad, which was inaugurated towards the end of 2021, is one of the multi-dimensional approaches deployed by the Commandant-General, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, to end the activities of oil pipeline vandals and the assymetrical war facing the nation today.
“Recently, he reiterated his vow to stamp out oil pipeline vandalism, illegal oil bunkering, illegal dealings in petroleum products, illegal mining of solid and natural minerals and other disheartening forms of economic sabotage, being perpetrated by criminal elements in our dear nation
“Upon busting the illegal oil storage site, it was discovered that petroleum products were being illegally refined.
“The squad was immediately reinforced by the Anti-Vandals Team of the Lagos State Command, on the swift orders of the Commandant, Lagos State Command, Eweka Okoro, who directed that the arrested suspects be brought for interrogation and investigation at the Intelligence and Investigation Department, State Command Headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja, before further legal action will be taken on the matter.
“The Anti-Vandals Unit of the Lagos State Command was also directed by the Commandant, to take full charge of the illegal oil site immediately, so as to forestall any further untoward activity by these economic saboteurs of our collective commonwealth”
While reiteratimg Okoro’s commitment to the vision and mission of the Commandant-General, the former, he added, had warned oil thieves in the state to desist from inimical acts capable of sabotaging the nation’s economy.“
He warned that failure on the part of oil thieves to desist from such acts would attract stiffer actions from the Command.
