By Musa Umar Bologi
Abuja
The NNS Detal patrol team of the Nigerian Navy yesterday arrested 12 suspected crude oil thieves and pipeline vandals in Warri South West local government area of Delta state.
A statement issued by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Christian Ezekobe, said the suspects were arrested in a speed boat and two large Cotonou boats around the SPDC Forcados area.
He said the boats were laden with product suspected to be illegally refined AGO in GP tanks.
The Naval spokesperson said the team also arrested two suspected crude oil thieves around Ugwangue Warri South West LG of Delta State.
“In one of the discovered sites, the patrol team destroyed 11 storage tanks, three Cotonou boats loaded with product suspected to be stolen crude oil, two pumping machines and 40-horse power (HP) fibre boat. Some of the items destroyed at Tagola creek are 30 drums of 200 litres each, six GP tanks of 15, 000 litres each, six tanks of 10,000 litres each and a locally made gun with one live cartridge. The operators of the illegal refinery fled before the arrival of the naval patrol team,” he
said.
Commodore Ezekobe also said the Navy patrol team deployed from Forward Operations Base (FOB) BADAGRY yesterday arrested six suspected smugglers around Askere waterways in a boat enroute Lagos from Cotonou.
According to him, the suspects were conveying about 200 bags of smuggled rice as at the time of arrest.
“A Nigerian Navy patrol ship, NNS MAKURDI, also intercepted and arrested 22 suspects in two boats.
“The suspects were conveying about 600 bags of the 22 persons, 14 of them are Nigerians while 8 are Cameroonian citizens. The suspects and exhibits have been handed over to the Nigerian Customs for further investigation and prosecution.”
