NSCDC, Others To Blame For Oil Theft – Chief Of Naval Staff

Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Dele Ezeoba, has blamed the rising spate of pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft on lack of diligent prosecution of suspects by relevant agencies.

Ezeoba, who spoke on Sunday in Brass, Bayelsa State, after a tour of the creeks and military formations in the Central Naval Command, observed that while security operatives, including the Navy had performed their duties by arresting suspected oil thieves, prosecution agencies had failed to discharge theirs diligently.

Ezeoba noted that there would be reduction in the breach of pipelines and stealing of petroleum products if agencies vested with the power of prosecution arraigned suspects and got them jailed.

The agencies vested with the power of prosecuting oil thieves are the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Police.

The Navy chief said, “The law enforcement agencies that have responsibility for prosecution should ensure that those culprits who have been caught charged to court are prosecuted and jailed.

“That will serve as a deterrent for would-be perpetrators. What we find is that there is more of the surveillance and response but that of enforcement is negligible. This kind of frustrates the efforts of the officers and men, who put their lives on the line to fight this scourge.”

Read More...

JTF discovers new tactics used by oil thieves

The Joint Task Force (JTF) operating in the Niger Delta says it has discovered new methods used by oil thieves to convey illegally refined petroleum products in the area.

A JTF personnel, who pleaded anonymity, in Port Harcourt yesterday that oil thieves fill jerry-cans with refined oil in rickety trucks to deceive unsuspecting security agents.

According to the source, two rickety trucks and the drivers were arrested in Abonnema, Rivers and one of the trucks could accommodate 33,000 litres of petroleum products.

The JTF personnel said that both trucks had enlarged compartments to hide the loaded products.We received intelligence report about the activities of oil thieves around Abonnema waterside and we stormed the area.

Immediately the oil thieves got hint that the JTF was coming, they fled with some of the trucks but we still intercepted them before they could escape, and one of the drivers claimed he was carrying saw dust.

On scrutiny, we discovered that the trucks had separate compartments which had 200 Jerry-cans of illegally refined diesel,” he said.

According to the soldier, the second truck which has the capacity to carry 33, 000 litres of petroleum products was not filled to capacity as at the time of making the arrest.

Maj. Michael Etete, Spokesman for the 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspects would be handed over to the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps for prosecution.

He said with the new development, security agents had been put on red alert to intensify stop-and-search operation at various security check-points in the area.

Etete called on the public to provide infor-mation that could lead to the arrest of individuals or groups involved in criminal activities. (NAN)

Read More...

JTF arrests 2 Shell workers for oil theft in Rivers

 Two suspected surveillance workers of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) were on Wednesday arrested by soldiers of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta over oil theft.

Maj. Michael Etete, the Spokesman for the 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, disclosed this in a signed statement .

Etete said the workers were arrested for breaking and tapping crude oil from an SPDC pipeline located at Kporgho in Gokana local government area in Rivers.

“At about 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, troops of JTF Sector 2 Pulo Shield on patrol discovered a pipe break and an illegal connection on SPDC pipeline in Kporgho in Gokana LGA.

“Bori Friday and Young Apahia, all males, working for SPDC as surveillance officers were arrested at the scene.

“The two were suspected to be responsible for the pipeline vandalism,” Etete said.

The Army spokesman said the two suspects had been handed over to the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the state command, for prosecution.

Etete called on multinational oil companies operating in the area to monitor its workers so as to aid security agents in its mandate of eliminating illegal oil bunkering in the region. (NAN)

Read More...