How Illegal Bunkerers Use Sewage Trucks To Lift Stolen Oil In Delta

Source: thewillnigeria.com

BEVERLY HILLS, September 18, (THEWILL) - Illegal oil bunkerers in the Niger Delta now use sewage trucks to convey stolen crude in a bid to evade arrest, THEWILL has learnt.

This came to the fore following the recent arrest of a sewage truck laden with about 12, 000 litres of substances suspected to be stolen crude oil by the Joint Task Force (JTF) codenamed Operation Pulo Shield, along Ibada Amukpe community in Sapele Council Area of Delta State.

Spokesman of the Joint Media Campaign Centre (JMCC), Lt-Col Mustapha Anka, who confirmed the development in a statement said the truck was declared to be carrying human waste but the substances inside the truck turned out to illegally-acquired crude oil.

Anka said the suspect claimed that the sewage truck was heading to a disposal dump but was discovered to be carrying illegally acquired crude oil when the anti-illegal oil bunkering squad of the Task Force intercepted it.

He said the suspects and the truck conveying the suspected products which were arrested have been kept in the custody of the Task Force pending the conclusion of investigation for onward transfer for prosecution.

According to him, the Task Force had previously discovered illegal oil dump buried inside shrines, sitting room and septic tanks.

Meanwhile, the Task Force had during an operation recently searched a house of a notorious criminal and discovered one AK 47 assault rifle with registration number CK28817.

Anka said from the operation, one foreign made barrel gun and a locally made single barrel with 12 live cartridges were also recovered.

He said although no arrest was made as the criminals had escaped before the arrival of the troops, the weapons and the cartridges recovered are in JTF custody while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the criminals.

Besides, the men of the Task Force also raided eight illegal bunkering sites at Opumani Creek and Adudu in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

Ankah said the team discovered 10 pumping machines, 17 cooking points, 3 illegal storage tanks and 8 metal tanks, 13 Cotonou boats as well as illegal bunkering hoses which were subsequently destroyed in line with the Task Force's mandate in the Niger Delta.

According to the statement, a surveillance supervisor with a private security guard was also arrested in connection with the illegal oil bunkering.

In a related development, the JTF said that its squad operating along Bayelsa and River States have arrested a 33,000 litre capacity truck with Lagos State registration number RRP 132 XA containing substance suspected to be illegally acquired Automated Gas Oil (AGO).

According to the statement, the suspects abandoned the trucks and fled on sighting the troops, adding that both the trucks and its contents were subsequently destroyed.

The statement added that an additional 17 illegal oil bunkering camps along freedom creek where oil thieves operate with six Cotonou boats,13 crude oil reservoir and a boat filled with suspected stolen oil were also destroyed.