….As Police Briefs Senate Committee on Successes in Anti Oil Theft Drives, Confirms Seizure of 123 Oil Vessels.
…..Harps on Effective Prosecution of Offenders
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba has reiterated that his administration is committed to continuously developing the improved capacity of its officers through practical training and acquiring top-notch investigative and operational assets to sustain the fight against oil theft and other crimes capable of sabotaging the country’s economy.
According to a press release signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, mnipr, mipra, he said that the IGP buttressed this while briefing the Senate Ad-hoc Committee to Investigate Oil Lifting, Theft and the Impact on Petroleum Production and Oil Revenues on Wednesday 21st September 2020, via a report on the activities of the IGP Special Task Force on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering. The IGP similarly recounted other achievements of the Inspector-General of Police Special Task Force on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering (IGP-STFPIB), the Unit charged with the responsibility of tackling these specialized crimes, in the period under review, to include the seizure of 1,301,020 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 135,000 litres of crude oil, 4,900 litres of premium motor spirit (PMS), 45,000 litres of engine oil, and 123 vessels comprising tankers, lorries, barges, buses, lorries and other vehicles. The Unit currently has 52 cases under prosecution nationwide.
In one of the cases, operatives of the IGP-STFPIB successfully discovered and busted the operations of an illegal refinery on 21st September 2022 in Jijoro Community Riverside, Delta State, a creek of about a one-hour boat ride. Suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) stuffed in 138 sacks, 10 empty surface tanks (ovens) used as cooking pots, 20 empty drums for storage 1 boat engine 2 pumping machines were recovered. Three suspects, Happy Gift Lawson ‘M’ aged 18, Ejime Precious Lande ‘M’ aged 22, and John JuguFormm ‘M’ X aged 25 were equally arrested.
Similarly, on 9th September 2022, following intelligence received from the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Command and Control Centre Portal, operatives of the IGP-STFPIB proceeded to the Rumuekini Area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where they discovered a warehouse within a residential building, storing about 15000 litres of petroleum products suspected to be illegally refined AGO stuffed in sacks. The products were recovered as well as 1 white Mack Tanker, 1 plastic storage tank, 1 barrel drum, and 1 pumping machine. One Franklin Osuagwu aged 29 was arrested at the scene in connection with the offence.
Samples of the products have been collected for laboratory analysis, while the suspects will be charged to court on the conclusion of investigations for effective prosecution in line with extant laws.
The Inspector-General of Police restates emphatically that the Nigeria Police Force will not relent in enforcing all laws as it is statutorily empowered to do by the effect of Section 4 (d) of the Police Act, 2020, and so charge all suspects arrested for oil theft and other related offences accordingly, without any prejudice.
Also, the IGP has called for increased support particularly in expanding the scope of our courts and conferring jurisdictional competence to hear petroleum and illegal bunkering matters, as well as provision of storage capacity for exhibits recovered during special operation pending the determination of a suit by the courts.
