Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it remains unrelenting in its commitment to the fight against oil theft, oil bunkering and illegal dealings in petroleum products.

In demonstration of this commitment, the Rivers State Command of the Corps has intercepted and impounded eight trucks conveying suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) along the Mbiama border between Bayelsa and Delta State.

State Commandant of the NSCDC, Abu Tambuwal, who said this at a press conference at the Command Headquarters, intimated the newsmen that the arrests were made possible following a tip off, informing that the Intelligence Team and the Anti-Vandal Squad of the Command had been on the trail of the suspects for over three weeks with a view to arresting them.

“Let me use this medium to reiterate our unrelenting commitment to the fight against oil theft, oil bunkering and all acts of illegal dealings in petroleum products in the State.”

“The Eagle eye of the Command is across the 23 Local government and we will not leave any stone unturned; there is a new Sheriff in town and it will never be business as usual…”

According to the State Commandant, “the trucks were intercepted while the 8 Suspects were on transit out of Rivers State. In a preliminary investigation report it was gathered that the suspects presented fake documents and beat several security checkpoints until they were apprehended by the Anti-Vandal Squad of the NSCDC Rivers State Command.

He relayed that intelligence reports at the disposal of the Corps revealed that some unscrupulous economic saboteurs are using a Court Auction Order, which has already been executed, to perpetrate these nefarious dealings.

“The Command in her renewed vigour to eradicate the menace of illegal dealings in petroleum products in the State made tactical moves by deploying the Intelligence Team and the Antivandal Squad who swung into action having trailed the Suspects for weeks; credible Intelligence revealed that the Suspects were allegedly using an already executed Court Auction Order to move trucks loaded with illegally refined AGO out of Rivers State to different locations in the country”