Navy arrests 10 petroleum pipeline vandals, recovers nine trucks of stolen PMS
Chioma Joseph, Lagos.
Operatives of Operation AWATSE, have arrested ten suspected petroleum pipeline vandals operating behind Forthright Garden Estate, Arepo in Ogun State, Daily Times reports.
The suspects, who are part of an organised syndicate, had reportedly stormed the sparely occupied area early on Monday morning, with nine branded trucks, to syphon refined Premium Motor Spirit(PMS), from a Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Pipeline (NNPC) in the area.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects, vandalised the pipeline coming from Atlas Cove going into Mosimi, where PMS is pumped and supplied.
The suspects connected a hose with seven tubes to the vandalised pipeline, located 3.2 kilometres from the crime scene, syphoned the products, loaded them in nylons and sack, before transferring into waiting truck.
Describing the act as an economic sabotage, the Commandant of Operation Awatse, Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command Rear Admiral Oladele Daji, said the crime was organised by rich and influential persons.
READ ALSO: COVID-19: Don’t come home for Christmas, avoid Carols —FG
He said the gang had graded the road to the crime scene ahead of their operation, while stating that the arrested suspects will be handed over to appropriate agency for prosecution at the completion of investigation,
Daji who urged members of the public to avail security operatives more information on the activities of vandals and other criminals, assured that such information will be handled with utmost confidentiality.
He said : “ This is a crime syndicate organised by rich and influential people considering the amount of money put in to carry out the operation. The syndicate graded the road from Forthright Garden Estate to where they were syphoning the fuel, which is about 1kilometre.
“ The road was graded for this operation, even the grader is still here as part of the exhibit.
it is a highly sophisticated syndicate to be able to hire nine trucks, a grader and the procurement of a hose of over three kilometers in length, fooling everybody.
“ We were all patrolling along the pipeline but the main activity was taking place 3.2 kilometers away from the pipeline. They even hired nine trucks to load the products. So this is evidence that these are not just petty thieves but a highly organised syndicate.
“ Together with the sister agencies, we are determined to get to the root of this syndicate and break their will from perpetrating this dastardly activities.
“ I appeal to Nigerians to continue to volunteer useful information to us through the Operation AWATSE helpline and the website, which is active. We promise to keep every information given to us confidential, as such information would lead to the arrest of those that are bent on sabotaging our quest for economic security and they will face the full wrath of the law.”
Daji further appreciated communities where pipeline traversed, that have been cooperating and volunteering information to security operatives.
He assured Nigerians that security agencies will continue to discharge their responsibilities in a responsive and responsible manner that will ensure that all those bent on causing economic sabotage are brought to book.
Stating that NNPC Maintenance Team were already on ground to fix the vandalised pipeline, he assured that it would not affect the supply of petroleum products to various parts of the country.
“ The trucks that would evacuate the recovered products would be here and in line with the standard operating procedure, the arrested trucks would be destroyed immediately and the trucks that were impounded with suspects would be presented in court as exhibit.
Also speaking on the development, the Deputy Commandant of Operation AWATSE, Major-General Godwin Umelo, stated that
Arepo is well noted for pipeline vandalism.
Umelo, who is also the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 81 Division, stated that operatives intensified surveillance around the area after information leaked about the planned crime.
He said: “ In the early hours of Monday, we got information that vehicles were moving into the area and we directed our troops to move in, which they did at about 5.30 am and met the vandals loading their trucks with the fuel.
“ So, because it was still very early and dark, some of the vandals escaped into the forest as a result of poor visibility, but we were lucky to have arrested 10 of them, all males. Six vehicles were arrested with already loaded products while three were yet to load. So nine vehicles were arrested in all.
“ The law will certainly take it’s course even though the military does not have persecutory powers, NSCDC that has the powers to prosecute those involved in pipelines vandalism will handle the matter when we are done with the investigative process. ”
The identities of the arrested suspects were given as Toafeek Abdulsalam, 42, Rasaq Oluwaseyi, 40, Tejumola Adedayo, 40, Mohammed Jimoh, 25, Isa Mohammed, 40, Julius Adeyemi, 52, Rilwan Adebayo, 16, Hassan Tajudeen, 37, Lawole Abubakar 43, and Tunde Raheem, 45.
