The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Rivers State Command, has revealed the discovery of a local refinery at Adobi-Akwa settlement in the Etche Local Government Area of the state, following intensive intelligence gathering on the activities of miscreants involved in illicit oil bunkering.
According to the NSCDC, operatives attached to its Anti-Vandal Squad were deployed immediately upon receiving the intelligence, News About Nigeria reports.
Commandant Basil Igwebueze, represented by the Head of the Anti-Vandal Squad, Peters Ibiso, led journalists into a forest approximately 6-7 kilometers from the main town, where the illegal refinery was located.
During the inspection, the team observed where the pipeline vandals had tapped into the wellhead of a multinational company, connecting their pipes to several cooking pots.
Igwebueze pointed out the sophisticated operation techniques of the illegal refinery operators, from crude oil extraction to cooking and transmission through pipes to storage reservoirs.
The NSCDC Commandant said that the agency is committed to combating illegal activities in the petroleum sector and urged the public to provide actionable intelligence to facilitate the arrest of economic saboteurs.
He assured the public of the confidentiality of informants’ identities and urged continued trust and cooperation in the fight against oil bunkering.
“Our commitment to continuously work in tandem with the prosecutorial mandate of the Corps to rid the state of economic saboteurs remains unchanged,” said Igwebueze.
“We value our informants and most especially the intelligence-driven tip-off received from time to time.”
He further stressed the importance of protecting critical national assets and infrastructure from vandals, stating, “It is, therefore, our delight that the public will continue to have confidence and trust in us as we together protect the nation’s critical national assets and infrastructure from daredevil vandals.”
