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In a crackdown on oil bunkering, authorities have arrested a suspect – an eight-month pregnant woman, believed to be the ringleader of a sophisticated syndicate. Alongside her husband and six others, she faces allegations of stealing and selling crude oil in the Southeast, a region plagued by this illicit activity.
At a press conference held in Abuja, the nation’s capital, on Wednesday, Force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi revealed that the suspects were taken into custody on July 4, shedding light on the successful operation that brought the alleged oil bunkering kingpins to book.
While withholding the specific location, Adejobi revealed that the suspects played a crucial role in facilitating the activities of a sophisticated syndicate, notorious for vandalizing oil pipelines and siphoning off valuable crude oil.
“On 4th July 2024, personnel of the Taskforce attached to the South-East Surveillance intercepted three (3) wooden boats loaded with one hundred and sixty (160) sacks of petroleum product suspected to have been illicitly acquired. During the operation, two (2) suspects viz: i) Peace Moweeloh ‘f’ and ii) Goodness Michael Chidinma ‘f’ were apprehended,” Adejobi stated.
Adejobi revealed that the arrest was the handiwork of the Inspector-General of Police Special Task Force on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering, a elite team tasked with disrupting and dismantling the networks of oil pipeline vandals and thieves.
“Preliminary investigation led to the arrest of two (2) other suspects viz: i) Alh Yerima Adamu and ii) Igboke Banks Ude.
“Among the suspects is an eight (8) month old pregnant woman who is the leader of the syndicate along with her husband. The suspects confessed to their involvement in aiding and abetting an organized syndicate specialized in tampering with oil pipelines and stealing therefrom. The case has been filed and all the four suspects remanded in prison.”
As part of the IGP’s strategic plan to bolster the Nigeria Police Force’s anti-oil theft operations, Adejobi revealed that substantial support has been extended to the Nigerian Navy, complemented by the upcoming acquisition of 20 additional boats for the NPF Marine Unit.
