The Army war against oil theft and other criminality yields dividends as 20 people were arrested with 14 trailers of stolen oil in Abaji near Abuja and were immediately handed over to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), for further investigation with a view of prosecuting them even as the Navy too paraded three suspects operating illegal recruitment exercise.
The principal suspect Joseph Amaechi, 14 drivers and five staff of an Abuja based company (name withheld) were paraded before journalists at 177 Guards Battalion, Keffi shortly after the Commander of Guards Brigade, Brigadier General Emmanuel Jebe Atewe briefed the press in his office.
“I am pleased to inform you of the arrest of 14 tankers by our troops stationed at Toto checkpoint in Toto Local Government Area in Nasarawa state conveying substance suspected to be crude oil stolen from NNPC Pipelines in Abaji Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory,” Atewe said.
According to him, on 10 March, at about 4.00pm, “troops of 177 Guards Battalion stationed at Toto checkpoint intercepted 14 tankers conveying substance suspected to be crude oil on their way to Kano. However, the owner of the said tankers, one Mr. Joseph Amaechi attempted to bribe our troops with N140, 000 which was outrightly rejected. The incident was promptly reported to the appropriate superior authority and the tankers subsequently impounded. The tankers were immediately moved to 177 Guards Battalion in Keffi. The owner and 15 others suspects were arrested in the process.”
Speaking further, the Guard Commander said Amaechi admitted that he and other members of his syndicate broke and siphoned the crude oil from the NNPC pipeline along Abaji in the FCT. Also one AK 47 rifle and a magazine were recovered from one of the suspects.
At Keffi, five of those paraded pleaded not guilty arguing that they were staff of a private company whose responsibilities include watching over the NNPC pipelines. They claimed they were not in any way involved in the crime. So also were the 14 drivers, who claimed they were just doing their jobs even when Amaechi disclosed that they work with a syndicate who specialises in oil theft.
Eleven of the tankers carried crude oil; one was carrying kerosene while two were carrying diesel. According to Amaechi each of the tankers cost as much as N400, 000 to hire while the product cost him N800, 000. He disclosed that he would have sold each of the tankers at N1.8m.
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