Crude oil theft: NSCDC uncovers two illegal pipeline connection points in Rivers

The NSCDC spokesperson,  Babawale Afolabi, in a statement on Monday, disclosed that the sites were located at Odagwa-Owaza Riverside boundaries of Rivers and Abia while the other was at Etche local government area of Rivers.

The spokesperson stated that the Commandant-General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CGsSIS) discovered the illegal connections following an intelligence report.

“And another site at Odagwa in the Etche area of Rivers where vandals tampered with valves of the manifold and siphoned crude at Imo River 2, oil and gas flow station operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Commission (NPDC).

“During the operation, we observed that the first local refining site had been earlier destroyed by security agencies but was later rebuilt,” he said.

CG’s SIS Commander, Dandaura Appolos, has reaffirmed the corps’ commitment to waging a relentless war against oil theft across the nation.

“Let me at this point re-assure the public that the NSCDC remains committed to her statutory mandate as the lead agency in safeguarding all critical national assets and infrastructure across the nation.

“The Intelligence Department has commenced thorough investigation into the matter and the suspects in custody are currently assisting us in the ongoing investigation,” the commander said.

(NAN)