The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, on Saturday, paraded a total of nine suspects over illegal dealings in petroleum products and vandalization of armoured cables in Akwa Ibom State.
The State Commandant of the NSCDC, Eluyemi Eluwade, who paraded the suspects before the press on Saturday at the Command headquarters in Uyo said the operatives also impounded three trucks conveying 135,000 litres of petroleum products.
He said, “the Anti-vandal Unit of the command made the arrests on July 14 along Ikot Abasi- Port Harcourt Expressway in Akwa Ibom.
“The trucks were halted for a routine inspection of documents by NSCDC personnel who insisted on sighting relevant papers including the licence to buy, sell and convey petroleum products as stipulated in the Petroleum Industry Act.
“The inability of the suspects to produce complete relevant documents led to their arrest and their trucks impounded for illegal dealing in petroleum products, an offence punishable by section 17 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
“Two of the trucks were conveying about 45,000 litres each of Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, popularly known as Diesel. The third truck was conveying about 45,000 litres of Petroleum Product suspected to be Crude oil or used engine oil, a petroleum by-product for which a license is also required to buy, sell or transport.”
Speaking on the suspected vandal, the state commandant said the operatives of the Agency on July 15 in Idu Uruan, Uruan LGA arrested him for criminal conspiracy, tampering and theft of Armoured Cable in a transformer at the Nigeria Medical Association Center in Uruan.
He said the suspect, who is currently under investigation is believed to have connived with criminals who breached the security of the facility where he was providing security and vandalised and stole armoured cable.
Eluwade restated the commitment of the NSCDC to curtail all forms of illegalities, including; illegal bunkering, adulteration of petroleum products, operating without license, and illegal refining to the barest minimum assuring that the suspects would be charged to court at the end of investigations.
NSCDC parades 8 for allegedly dealing in illegal petroleum products in Akwa Ibom
