Police Declare War on Economic Saboteurs
Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The Inspector-General of Police (IG)) Usman Alkali Baba, has declared war against economic saboteurs across the nation.
Specifically, the IG restated commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to maintain a sustained fight against illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism and other criminal elements in the country.
Baba made the declaration yesterday during the parade of suspects in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. Represented by the acting Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the IG revealed that the Inspector-General of Police Special Task Force on Petroleum/Illegal Bunkering (IGP-STFPIB) arrested 42 suspects, impounded 41 trucks, Illegal Petroleum Products.
Adejobi disclosed that the “IGP-STFPIB successfully impounded 41 trucks, 13 other vehicles; arrested 42 suspects out of whom 21 have been charged to court with 17 still under investigations while 4 convictions have been secured in court; pending and final forfeiture of 14 Tankers and 4 Cars to the Federal Government of Nigeria, with 6 cases pending in various Federal High Court branches across the federation.
“Equally, a total of 1,057,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 30,000 litres of Low Pour Furl Oil (LPFO), 75,000 litres of Crude oil, and 9,900 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) were recovered between 2021 till date,” he said.
The IG explained that the successes were achieved in Rivers State and some other parts of the country, sequel to the collective efforts in the fight against bunker traders and purveyors of adulterated petroleum products within the country.
Amongst the suspects arrested and paraded were “Rabiu Halidu 31, (Katsina State), Michael Okoro 30, (Rivers State), Arinze Eze 50, (Enugu State), Lukman Musa 22, (Kogi State), Sefiu Ibrahim 18, (Kano State), and 25-year-old Nura Isiaku from Kaduna State. The trio of Lukman, Sefiu, and Nura hid drums of crude oil in a truck stacked with sacks of fertilizer.
They, however, ran out of luck upon thorough stop and search by an operational team of the IGP-STFPIB.
“The Commander IGP-STFPIB, DCP Usman Jubrin Kanfani, reported that the forfeited products which were tested and confirmed by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), and approved private laboratories; and forfeited vehicles, are in the custody of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC) Ltd., while motions for the forfeiture of the rest are still pending in different Courts”.
The IG further expressed his commendation on the efforts of the Commander IGP-STFPIB and his team in their diligence, as he calls for frequent operational patrols in a bid to curb the incessant activities of illegal bunker traders and economic saboteurs.
The IG equally charged officers and men of the Force to be committed, patriotic, and focused on their statutory duties of preventing crimes, and protection of lives and property in line with extant laws of the land.
