Police Arrest Three Oil Pipeline Vandals, Impounds Two Trucks

The Rivers State Police
Command has arrested three members of oil theft syndicate who specialise in vandalising Shell and NNPC oil pipelines within Elelenwo express way/Akpajo in Eleme Local Government Area of the State.
The arrested oil thieves alongside their trucks include Jonathan Okon, 42, from Akwa Ibom, Bernard Kingsley, 28 Imo State and Sunny Onocha, 26 who hails from Abia State.
Parading the suspects at the Mini-Okoro Police Division in Port Harcourt, Wednesday, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin reiterated his resolve on assumption of office to fight saboteurs of the Nation’s economic growth, adding that the Federal Government would leave no stone unturned in the fight against crude oil theft and vandalisation of oil pipelines across the country.
Mr. Ogunsakin explained that the strategies adopted by his administration against oil bunkering in many parts of the State were beginning to yield positive results, adding that the police would constantly re-assess the operational strategies in line with the sophistication of the oil thieves.
According to him, on Friday, March 28, 2014, at about 10:30 hours, he received information that a group of people who specialised on pipeline vandalisation are parading within Elelenwo Expressway/Akpajo Eleme Road, Port Harcourt.
He stated that the police monitoring team was instantly directed to the scene of the oil bunkering and the perpetrators were caught in the act.
They had already filled two specially-built 55,000 litres trucks with crude oil and were about loading the third one when the police team arrived the scene.
“As expected, the arrested suspects tried to evade arrest with tactics and antics, but our men who were very determined to end oil bunkering, especially in the state, overpowered them and impounded their trucks,” he added.
The River police boss pointed out that the impounded trucks with registration number XF869PHC belonged to Jonathan Okon while truck XA905DEG belong to a certain Basil contracted by one Ogwun Amos still at large, adding that Chineye Onuoha was the driver of truck number KA541KET.

Chairman, Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Hon. Irene Inimgba (left) answering questions from newsmen, after the committee’s oversight visit to the ministry, last Wednesday. With her is a member of the House, Hon. Legborsi Nwidadah. Photo: Chris Monyanaga

Akujobi Amadi