The Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (GG’s SIS) acting on credible intelligence has destroyed illegal refinery sites located inside the creek in Ukwa West local government area of Abia State.
In a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the Corps, Afolabi Babawale, the CG’s SIS Commander, Appolos Dandaura said the arrest is one of the numerous ongoing operations aimed at checkmating all forms of illegal oil bunkering activities and crude theft in Abia State.
“We swiftly acted on the credible intelligence information at our disposal and while combing the entire area we stormed a swampy forest where an artisanal oil refinery site was located; you need to see the way these criminal-minded suspects were tapping and siphoning crude oil from the installed wellheads domiciled around the pipelines by the NPDC at Umuorie in the ASA/Ibuzor axis of Ukwa West LGA of the State”.
Mr Apollos explained that on sighting the operatives of the CG’s SIS, some of the suspects took to their heels, but two were apprehended, namely Endurance David, 16, and 13-year-old Abadiedot Micheal Anieke.
He hinted that exhibits recovered from the scene include several sizes of metallic galvanized pipes illegally connected to siphon crude oil, dug-in reservoirs, large quantities of crude oil stored in dug-in pits, different sizes of metal and plastic buckets, funnels, among other items.
Meanwhile, the NSCDC Commandant General, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi has tasked the Special Intelligence Squad to go after the fleeing members of the syndicate who are still at large while the two under-aged suspects are currently helping out in the investigations.