Operatives of the Rivers State Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, River State Command have uncovered and destroyed a market where illegally refined petroleum products are marketed at New Town in Eleme Local Government Area of the state.
The security outfit also arrested nine suspects it caught around the market when they stormed the place where illegal oil refiners allegedly market their products.
It was gathered that the occupants of the mini-oil village at the heart of Eleme also involve in other illegal acts of buying petroleum products from tanker drivers on delivery.
It was further revealed that the suspects allegedly tap refined products from a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation oil pipeline not far from the illegal oil market.
Speaking to Southern City News, the Rivers State Commandant of NSCDC, Mrs. Helen Amachree, said the action of the NSCDC was in line with the ongoing fight against oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the country.
The commandant explained that the war against oil theft by her command had been successful.
Amachree disclosed the command discovered the market through its intelligence gathering and had made several investigations to expose the criminal activities going on in the area.
She said the government was gradually winning the war against oil theft, adding that some of the illegal oil refineries have been destroyed by the command.
According to her, “Actually, we have come here to destroy an illegal market where illegal dealings on petroleum products are going on. We discovered the market through intelligence report.”
“The quantity of product here is huge; we have not counted them, but they are over 2,000 drums of about 200 litres each, if not more.
“We will not relent in our effort in fighting this menace. We are not unaware of the fact that the more we destroy, the more they regroup. But I will just want to assure the people of Rivers State that NSCDC is equal to the task of curbing oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
“To a very large extent, with our activity, I want to say that the trend of oil theft and pipeline vandalism in Rivers State has been cut to a very large extent.
“Over nine suspects have been arrested. They were more than thirty when we arrived, on seeing us, they fled but we were able to take more than nine to our office. We are going to investigate and prosecute them because they are dealing illegally in petroleum products.”
Meanwhile, a youth leader in Bori, Mr. Sunday Legbo, expressed anger that the NSCDC did not take permission from the community before destroying the market.
He said the place was not used for illegal oil business, but for what he described as buying and selling.
“We were surprised to hear that Civil Defence came to molest people who are doing business in this place. They arrested innocent people around this business premises.”
“In the businesses they do here, they don’t go to pipeline, they don’t go to the waterside where they are cooking the product, what they do here is buying and selling,” Legbo said.
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