The
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, on Wednesday, paraded six
notorious pipeline vandals who were nabbed by security operatives in Lagos
state.
The suspects who are
reportedly citizens of Benin Republic, were arrested on Sunday on the sea in
the Badagry area of the state while they were about to cross the border to
their country.
The vandals, Suru
Hunpevi, 30, Gbenonu Jonas, 29, Messel Hungo, 25, Mark Huntoji, 22, Joseph
Gbehan, 21 and Emmanuel Somoten, 18, specialize in siphoning fuel from
vandalised pipelines of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
The Commandant of the
NSCDC in the state, Tajudeen Balogun, said the Beninoise suspects were yet to
speak up on the crime due to language barrier.
Balogun said, “The
arrest we made in Badagry was done on the sea around Gberefu Island and Ita
Oluwo, Ikorodu.
“The six suspected
vandals were Beninoise and wanted to cross the border to the Republic of Benin.
“Fifty three drums of
petrol with 250 litres in each drum were recovered from them. We also seized
two speedboats and a pumping machine from them. They were suspected to have
siphoned the fuel from vandalised NNPC pipelines.
“A staggering 13,250
litres of diesel were also recovered from the suspects while a pumping machine
and the two speedboats they used for the operation were also impounded.
“The suspects would be
charged to court upon the completion of investigation,” Balogun said.
The Commandant,
however, stressed that the command would ensure that the culprits face the full
weight of the law as he urged criminally minded people to steer clear of
pipeline vandalism.
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