The operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Delta State Command have arrested and paraded three suspected oil thieves with about 16,000 litres of stolen locally refined diesel.
The Delta Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr Jimoh Suleiman, made this known on Tuesday while parading the suspects and the products before journalists in Warri, the state capital.
He disclosed that the product was laden in a large wooden boat, popularly called the Cotonou boat.
Suleiman explained that the suspects were nabbed on Sunday around Madagho community in Warri South-West Local Government Area of the state, adding that the NSCDC operatives had been on the trail of the suspects for the past three days before they were eventually apprehended.
“I am here to parade the three suspects we arrested on April 21, 2024, at about 0236 hours in the Shell Escravos area around Madagho village settlement.
“My boys have been out for more than three days on the trail of the suspects before we were fortunate to arrest them on Sunday.
“They were apprehended alongside nine GP tanks, with four of the tanks loaded with products, two pumping machines, a generator, and a counting machine.
“For you to arrest suspects with pumping and counting machines with a lot of products (refined), not black, for us to say it is locally refined,
“It is obvious that this product was vandalised somewhere; the suspects tampered with the pipelines,” he said.
The NSCDC boss then stated that the landmark achievements showed the commitment of his personnel to combating oil thieves who were hell-bent on sabotaging the nation’s economy.
He warned criminals to refrain from the Delta Creeks, saying that they were out against them.
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“We are not relenting, and we will not relent; we are not sleeping, and we will not sleep.
“Others who have the plan to sabotage the economy should move away from Delta because we are out for them,” he warned.
