… Illegal Refinery Uncovered In Rivers

A makeshift illegal refinery located in the confines of one of the communities in Ahoada West local government of Rivers State has been uncovered by men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

The Tide On Sunday  gathered that the refinery is responsible for producing and circulating adulterated petroleum products in the state.

The NSCDC officials could not ascertain its production capacity, it was gathered that dealers within Bayelsa and Delta states patronize the facility.

Acting on a tip-off by patriotic citizens, the NSCDC stormed the area as the operators took to their heels into the nearby bush abandoning their equipment.

The refinery is located deep in the forest of a community called Odihiogbo in the local government area.

The Tide On Sunday  was reliably informed that the criminals had earlier resisted men of the civil defence, who went unarmed to the place. It was only when the Sector Joint Task Force (JTF) in the area stormed the premises that some arrests were made.

Exhibits recovered from the facility include two outboard engines, one pumping machine, seventeen 20 litre jerry cans containing adulterated petroleum products and four Jetta saloon cars.

Confirming the development, spokesman for the NSCDC, Mr John Olubuah told The Tide On Sunday that about six suspects were apprehended at the facility.

The suspects include Hamida Idris, Tony Ishiaku, Luka Tanko, Ola Ojebada, Abubakar Adamu and Mohammed Ibrahim and they are currently cooling their heels in the agency’s custody.

The civil defence spokesman explained that from the exhibits recovered from them, the suspects engage in vandalizing pipelines around the area from where they crudely refine it for public consumption.

Lamenting the activities of vandals in the state, Mr Olubuah assured that the agency would not relent in carrying out its responsibility of securing and protecting government facilities, declaring that the suspects would be sued to court.

He described activities of vandals as sabotage to the economy of the country since crude oil remains the main source of revenue for the federal government.