Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Akwa Ibom State Command, has arrested nine suspected smugglers in connection with illegal petroleum product transactions and seized three trucks transporting 135,000 gallons of the items in Akwa Ibom.

Mr Eluyemi Eluwade, the state Commandant of the NSCDC, announced this to journalists on Saturday at the Command headquarters in Uyo.

Eluwade said the suspects were apprehended by the command’s Anti-vandal Unit on 14 July along the expressway.

He said “The trucks were halted for a routine inspection of documents by NSCDC personnel who insisted on sighting relevant papers including a licence to buy, sell and convey petroleum products as stipulated in the Petroleum Industry Act.

“The inability of the suspects to produce complete relevant documents led to their arrest and their trucks impounded for illegal dealing in petroleum products, an offence punishable by section 17 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

“Two of the trucks were conveying about 45,000 litres each of Automative Gas Oil (AGO) popularly known as Diesel.

“The third truck was conveying about 45,000 litres of Petroleum Product suspected to be Crude oil or used engine oil, a petroleum by-product for which a license is also required to buy, sell or transport.”

The commandant further stated that another suspect was apprehended by agency operatives on July 15 in Idu Uruan, Uruan LGA, for criminal conspiracy, tampering, and theft of armoured cable in a transformer at the Nigeria Medical Association Centre in Uruan.

According to him, the suspect under investigation was suspected to have conspired with thieves to breach the security of the facility where he was providing protection, vandalising and stealing armoured cable.

While reaffirming the NSCDC’s commitment to combating all forms of illegality, such as illegal bunkering, adulteration of petroleum products, operating without a licence, illegal refining, and others, the commandant warned against vandalism of public utilities, describing it as a crime against society that deprives everyone of the common good they are supposed to enjoy.

He stated that all of the accused would be charged in court once the investigations were completed.