By Ife Osemedua
365Daily– The Abia State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has said it destroyed eight illegal modular refineries in the oil-bearing Ukwa West Local Government Area.
Barely two weeks ago, 10 similar facilities were destroyed in the same area by operatives of the Anti-vandal Unit of the command, codenamed “Operation Sting”.
This disclosure was made by the corps’ Abia State Commandant, Mr Ayinla Olowo, tmin his Umuahia office.
However, no arrest was made.
Olowo said the feat was achieved following the sustained efforts by the command to rid the state of illegal dealings in petroleum products.
He explained: “The anti-vandal unit carried out an operation in Ukwa West on Feb. 5, to get rid of operators of illegal refineries in the area.
“The operatives destroyed eight illegal refineries and disconnected all the pipes with which they siphoned products from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation’s pipelines.
“By this act, we have succeeded in stopping their activities in the area.”
The Commandant described the activities of illegal petroleum refiners as economic sabotage, saying that “their activities are having negative impact on the nation’s economic prosperity.
“This is why we have intensified our efforts to crack down on the operators.
“We cannot allow a few criminal elements to continue to destroy our national asset and source of revenue,” he added.
Speaking on the failure to arrest the operators of illegal refineries, the Comandant explained that they usually put spies at strategic points in the forest to alert them whenever security agents are in
“So any time we carry out an operation, the moment we arrive at the forest, they will all disappear,” he said.
Olowo said that his next target was to uncover the root of the criminal act and those behind it and that the command would partner other sister security agencies in the state to tackle the menace.
He, however, said that such a collaboration would require the profiling of operatives from other agencies that would form part of a combined operation against the crime.
While commending the residents of Ukwa West communities, he said, “The locals are so happy with what we are doing and have been volunteering useful information to us.
“I have assured them that every information given to us will be treated with utmost confidentiality.”
Olowo expressed gratitude to the Commandant-General of the corps, Mr Ahmed Audi, for his promise to support the command with vehicles and other logistics that would help us fight the crime.
“Once we have the vehicles to get into the forest, then the issue of illegal petrol refineries and other illegal dealings in petroleum products will become a thing of the past,” he said.