The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, on Wednesday, paraded six notorious pipeline vandals who were nabbed by security operatives in Lagos state.
The suspects who are reportedly citizens of Benin Republic, were arrested on Sunday on the sea in the Badagry area of the state while they were about to cross the border to their country.
The vandals, Suru Hunpevi, 30, Gbenonu Jonas, 29, Messel Hungo, 25, Mark Huntoji, 22, Joseph Gbehan, 21 and Emmanuel Somoten, 18, specialize in siphoning fuel from vandalised pipelines of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
The Commandant of the NSCDC in the state, Tajudeen Balogun, said the Beninoise suspects were yet to speak up on the crime due to language barrier.
Balogun said, “The arrest we made in Badagry was done on the sea around Gberefu Island and Ita Oluwo, Ikorodu.
“The six suspected vandals were Beninoise and wanted to cross the border to the Republic of Benin.
“Fifty three drums of petrol with 250 litres in each drum were recovered from them. We also seized two speedboats and a pumping machine from them. They were suspected to have siphoned the fuel from vandalised NNPC pipelines.
“A staggering 13,250 litres of diesel were also recovered from the suspects while a pumping machine and the two speedboats they used for the operation were also impounded.
“The suspects would be charged to court upon the completion of investigation,” Balogun said.
The Commandant, however, stressed that the command would ensure that the culprits face the full weight of the law as he urged criminally minded people to steer clear of pipeline vandalism.
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