Troops of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have uncovered the illegal tapping into the oil well heads of some petroleum companies in Rivers State.
The Commandant of the NSCDC, Rivers State Command, Basil Igwebueze, condemned what he described as the ‘’unrepentant’’ act by these ‘’unscrupulous elements’’ who tapped into the Oil Well Head of Heirs Energies Limited and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited located around Imo River 2 Oil and Gas field at Odagwa in Etche.
Igwebueze stated that through different channels, the criminals inserted their galvanized pipes and siphoned crude oil while processing the same within the premises without recourse.
He stated that the site would be destroyed to ensure the perpetrators don’t return there to continue the illicit business.
“The uncovering of this massive illegal oil bunkering site is a landmark achievement and an indication that the NSCDC, as the lead agency in the protection of all critical national assets and infrastructure, will continue to combat crude oil theft with renewed vigor even as we work in synergy with sister security agencies to salvage the nation’s economy from saboteurs,” Igwebueze said.
He added that a “thorough investigation has commenced to unravel those behind the scene while all suspects arrested in connection with this act of vandalism and crude oil theft would be charged to a court of competent jurisdiction and their sponsors or cartels would be trailed and brought to book without compromise.”
According to the NSCDC, several pipes were connected to tapping points with high-pressure crude oil flowing therein, while a crude-laden abandoned wellhead was destroyed by the miscreants.
