We Destroyed 100 Illegal Refineries in Two Years, NSCDC Reveals

•Oil Theft: Rights group condemns burning of arrested vessels

Michael Olugbode in Abuja, Sylvester Idowu in Warri and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) destroyed over 100 illegal refineries across the country in the last two years, the Commandant General of the Corps, Dr. Ahmed Audi disclosed yesterday.

Speaking in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the second Commandant General’s Conference in the year 2023, Audi also disclosed that: “We have arrested over 200 suspects involved in vandalism in the last two years.”

He, however, lamented that criminals were targeting public infrastructure and national wealth, enjoining officers of the NSCDC to double their efforts in tackling all challenges they were facing across the country.

Audi, while restating the order by the President that his administration would no longer tolerate crude oil theft, even as he gave marching orders to security agencies to end the menace of oil theft, said: “As the lead agency in the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure, we are obligated to key into this policy direction by further strengthening our anti-vandalisation drive.

“I am, therefore, issuing a fresh order to all State Commandants to rejig and reenergise your anti-vandal and intelligence units to effectively execute this Presidential Order.”

He charged the senior officers to begin to deploy new strategies in tackling the spate of insecurity in the country, adding that the Corps had prioritised training and retraining, as well as procurement of modern operational and communication equipment in order to further enhance the capacity of the personnel.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has condemned the burning and destruction of vessels laden with stolen crude oil.

The group described the method of destruction as worrisome and an environmentally unfriendly way of curbing oil theft.

The Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, Chima Williams, made the decision of the group known in a statement yesterday, while commenting on the conduct of the Nigeria’s security operatives trying to stop oil theft in the Niger Delta, especially in recent time.

According to him, the burning of crude oil laden vessels disposes a high level of chemical content into the water bodies that destroys aquatic organisms that humans need to survive. 

“Destroying such vessels with their crude contents produces high level chemical debris that follows tidal movement to other parts of the country. This kind of devastation destroys the aquatic organisms needed to satisfy man’s nutritional and survival needs.

“What is discharged includes chemical contents from the crude and the vessels that are harmful to the human health. The health implications of such activities may not have immediate effects, but will be transferred to the people who inhabit these areas, as the primary occupation of the Riverine people are fishing and farming, which is dependent on the surrounding waters,” he said.

He maintained that the destruction of crude oil laden vessels would also deprive the people of their sources of livelihood, when the chemical waste from the burnt vessels and crude oil come in contact with the environment, killing aquatic life and poisoning the surrounding soil.

Commenting on the economic implication of such activities, Williams further stated that destroying and wasting away stolen crude, was a disfavor to the country’s economy, as such crude could generate funds that would build infrastructures and better the lives of the people.

“Destroying badges of crude that runs into millions is equivalent to denying the nation and its people of the revenue that can be derived from such large amounts of crude.

“This is a country in dire need of resources to rebuild the economy, to build infrastructures and to better the lives of the people. The country is in heavy debt, yet we are destroying sources of enhancing our economy. The burnt vessels can be transformed into other uses like enhancing the work of seafarers in the country.”

Williams also spoke on the legal implications of the destruction of vessels laden with stolen crude, describing it as the destruction of evidence that could lead to proper prosecution of the case.

He further stressed that such actions wipe away the key principles of the rule of law, as the chances of conviction or proper acquittal are no longer visible. According to him, this is a denial of justice to the nation, the individuals involved and the victims of their negative operational conducts and activities.

He called on military and security operatives to put an end to the burning of crude oil laden vessels, stressing that it goes against every tenet of environmental protection and environmental health.

He called on government at all levels to move away from such hazardous means of curbing oil theft, and to map out effective action plans that would protect the environment, protect the livelihood of the people in their pursuit of justice and also create an economic value from seized crude oil and the conveying vessels.