Three suspects have been apprehended by the Anambra Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for possessing 1,625 liters of adulterated diesel, also referred to as Automotive Gas Oil, in Anambra.
NSCDC Anambra Commandant Olatunde Maku, showcased the suspects to journalists in Awka on Friday, stating that they were detained on March 23 along Atani Road, Odekpe in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state.
The suspects were identified as Oluchukwu Okeke, 28, from Ogbaru in Anambra; Emeka Chukwuma, 34, also from Ogbaru in Anambra; and Ifunanya Ike, 29, from Mbano in Imo state.
They were found transporting 65 kegs of 25 liters each of suspicious adulterated diesel, totaling an estimated 1,625 liters in four different vehicles.
Maku disclosed that the vehicles in question were two shuttle buses, a white bus with plate number AWK429XY, and an ash-colored bus with plate number GDD277XB.
“The cooperation of the Nigerian Navy facilitated this arrest, and initial investigations revealed that the illicitly refined products were loaded at Ogbakuma and bound for Okoti community, both in Ogbaru area,” Maku explained.
He expressed appreciation for the Nigerian Navy’s aid in combating criminal activities within the state.
Emphasizing the necessity of such collaborations to combat such crimes effectively, Maku declared, “NSCDC, as the primary protection agency for crucial national, state, and local government assets and infrastructure, maintains a strict stance against crude oil theft and illegal bunkering practices.”
“Our commitment remains unwavering in ridding Anambra state of illegal petroleum products trafficking and allied criminal behaviors,” he asserted.
Maku stated that the suspects would face legal proceedings once investigations were finalized.
He urged the public to support the command’s intensified efforts to eradicate illegal oil refining activities within the state by providing intelligence on illicit oil bunkering operations in their areas.