Nineteen People have been arrested for illegal oil refining and storage with 81 trucks and N4 million cash impounded in the process by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC, Lagos State Command.
Abolurin Oluwaseun, spokesperson of the Command Spokesperson, disclosed this in a statement adding that Other items recovered were 11 pumping machines, nine buses, 25 surface tanks, 140 drums containing illegal refined diesel and 15 generating sets.
He explained that the site of the illegal oil refining was bursted at about 12.18pm, on Monday, 30 May, 2022, at Etal Avenue, off Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, Ikeja area of Lagos.
The operation, Abolurin added was carried out by The Commandant General’s Squad, which was inaugurated in 2021as a way of stamping out pipeline vandalism and other illegal activities.
He said the Squad acted on a team off and discovered that petroleum products were being illegally stored and refined in the area.
He said the N4 million cash was found in a car suspected to belong to the syndicate.
Abolurin said, “The Squad was immediately re – enforced by the Anti – vandal team of the Command, on the swift orders of the Commandant, NSCDC, Lagos State Command, Eweka Douglas Okoro, who clinically directed that the arrested suspects be brought for adequate interrogation and investigation, in the Intelligence and Investigation (INT) Department, at the State Command Headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja, before further legal action will be taken on the matter.
“The Anti – vandal unit of the Command has also been directed by the Commandant to take full charge of the illegal oil site immediately, so as to forestall any further untoward activity by these economic saboteurs of our collective commonwealth.
“Finally, Commandant Eweka Okoro avows his unflinching commitment to the vision and mission of the Commandant General, CG Ahmed Abubakar Audi, PhD, in relations to the eradication of illegal dealings in petroleum products and all forms of economic sabotage in the state and nation.
“He however, warned that failure of the unrepentant vandals and oil thieves to desist from the act will be meted with stiffer actions from the Command, which may eventually lead the culprits to face the full wrath of the law.”
