By Dayo Ahmed
The Police in Edo State Command, South-South Nigeria, has reportedly arrested about 30 suspects for various criminal offences and destroyed illegal oil refineries where crude oil was being diverted to.
The spokesman for the Police authorities Chidi Nwabuzor, a DSP told news reporters that a number of those arrested were for alleged oil theft, adding that some were arrested at Boboluku Community in Ethiope Local Government Area of Delta.
According to him, some of the suspects were being questioned by the relevant security agencies.
It was gathered that the Command adopted the use of swamp buggies to ensure the complete destruction of illegal bunkering camps within its area of operations. It said the innovation yielded positive results because several metallic tanks, drums as well as the covering of several dug-out-pits used for illegal bunkering were raided during the operations.
The Police authority also said that at Ebele Creek, two-speed boats concealed in the swamp by criminal elements were seized and that the boats were currently in the custody of the Police pending investigation. The Police discovered and destroyed five dug-out pits and five metallic storage tanks loaded with about 110,000 litres of petroleum products.
Further information has it that one of the tanker drivers of one of the petro tankers which was allegedly used to transport petroleum products was killed by the Police operatives while he attempted to escape. It was learnt that the driver Yinka Adebayo was previously under the investigation of security personnel as he was suspected of offering his tanker for the diversion of petrol to black market dealers. Unconfirmed reports also has it that one of the assistants to the petro tanker driver Alabi Sylvanus managed to escape.
Findings indicated that the said Sylvanus was a trainee driver under the late Yinka Adebayo. The incident was reported to have occurred at a border town in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.
Oil production remains the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy as oil earnings account for about 80 percent of all government income in Nigeria, a nation of more than 180 million people.
Although corruption sees much of that money looted by a small percentage of the ruling class. In the face of Nigeria’s growing corruption, several youths especially in the oil-producing South-South Niger Delta region have resulted to illegal oil trading for livelihood.
https://any.peopleandpowermag.com/oil-bunkering-police-thwart-sabotage-trail-criminals/
