In yet another decisive blow to the scourge of oil theft and illegal bunkering, the operatives of the IGP Special Task Force on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering (IGP-STFPIB) have made a significant breakthrough. This latest operation underscores the relentless efforts of the Nigeria Police Force in curbing economic sabotage in the country\u2019s oil-rich regions.<\/p>\n
According to a statement issued by the Force spokesperson, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, mnipr, mipra, fCAI, the discovery was made on 12th September 2024, in collaboration with the Department of Operations of the Rivers State Command. The operatives uncovered a clandestine storage facility in Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, used for processing and storing illegally acquired crude oil.<\/p>\n
The operation resulted in the arrest of four suspects: Emmanuel Nwachi, 58; Adamu Bala, 35; Nura Musa, 22; and Bashir Abubakar, 28. These individuals were apprehended on-site, along with the recovery of a staggering 40,000 litres of petroleum products stored in 67 white storage tanks. The team destroyed the site and seized various pieces of equipment and machinery used for the illicit processing of crude oil.<\/p>\n
This breakthrough, however, is not an isolated incident but part of a broader strategy by the Nigerian police to intensify their efforts against those involved in oil theft and illegal bunkering. Oil theft, often referred to as \u201ceconomic terrorism,\u201d has been a persistent issue in Nigeria, costing the nation billions of dollars annually and contributing to environmental degradation, especially in the Niger Delta region.<\/p>\n
In his remarks following the operation, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, reiterated the commitment of the Force to combating all forms of criminality, including corruption and economic sabotage. He emphasized that those involved in these nefarious activities would continue to face the full weight of the law. “We are determined to stamp out these criminal networks and will not relent in bringing perpetrators to justice,” he stated.<\/p>\n
The IGP also lauded the successful collaboration between the IGP-STFPIB and the Rivers State Command, commending the swift and decisive actions that led to the dismantling of this criminal operation. He called for further cooperation from citizens, urging them to provide intelligence and support the police in their fight against economic crimes.<\/p>\n
Illegal bunkering and crude oil theft have long plagued Nigeria’s oil sector, impacting both the country’s economy and its environment. As the world\u2019s 13th-largest oil producer, Nigeria relies heavily on its oil revenues. However, the activities of oil thieves have led to massive revenue losses, contributing to the country’s economic challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In yet another decisive blow to the scourge of oil theft and illegal bunkering, the operatives of the IGP Special Task Force on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering (IGP-STFPIB) have made a significant breakthrough. This latest operation underscores the relentless efforts of the Nigeria Police Force in curbing economic sabotage in the country\u2019s oil-rich regions. According […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48506"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48507,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48506\/revisions\/48507"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}