The Special Intelligence Squad of the Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has discovered a large illegal oil refining operation in a forest in the Odagwa community of the Etche Local Government Area in Rivers State.
According to the NSCDC, the site contains 10 illegal refineries with an estimated 500,000 liters of crude oil stored in around 50 illegally built reservoirs.
During a raid on the site, the security agency arrested five suspects.
NSCDC spokesperson for the Rivers State Command, Olufemi Ayodele, revealed this while presenting the suspects to the press.
Ayodele mentioned that the site was found based on reliable intelligence gathered.
He stated, “The Commandant General of the NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Audi, has reiterated over time that all acts of economic sabotage would be fought to a standstill as suspects arrested would face the full wrath of the law, irrespective of their sponsors.
“In furtherance, the CG gave a marching order to the Special Intelligence Squad, charging them to be more thorough and results-oriented in their operations.
“Based on credible intelligence. the CG’s SIS swung into action and uncovered 10 illegal local refineries in a forest located at Odagwa Community in the Etche LGA of Rivers State where five suspects were caught in the act of illegally refining crude oil.
“While conducting an operational tour across the large thick forest about 10 different cooking pots of 50,000 litres capacity were seen with one big pumping machine, reservoir tanks, 25 rubber hoses used for pumping crude oil and many long galvanised pipes with unquantified litres of crude oil and illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil stored in six large reservoirs and other 20 smaller reservoirs dug in the ground.”
The arrested suspects are: Favour Chukwu, 29; Desmond Umeh, 25; Godwin Amos, 22’Bineace Galion, 38; and Goodnews David, 23.
The spokesperson for the NSCDC in the state stated that the suspects will be prosecuted once investigations are completed.
The Commandant of the NSCDC in Rivers State, Basil Igwebueze, strongly criticized the actions of individuals who illegally tapped into the oil wellhead of ‘Heirs Energies Limited’ and the ‘Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’ at the Imo River 2 Oil and Gas field in Odagwa, Etche.
Igwebueze explained that the criminals used galvanized pipes to siphon crude oil from the wellhead and processed it on the premises without permission.
Igwebueze said, “The uncovering of this massive illegal oil bunkering site is a landmark achievement and an indication that the NSCDC as the lead agency in the protection of all critical national assets and infrastructure will continue to combat crude oil theft with a renewed vigour even as we work in synergy with sisters security agencies to salvage the nation’s economy from saboteurs.”
