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15 suspected oil thieves on trial in various courts in Cross River

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15 suspected oil thieves are standing trial in various courts in Calabar, Cross River State capital.

Disclosing this to DAILY POST on Friday, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Solomon John Erimi said 16 others have already been convicted.

“About 15 oil thieves’ suspects are standing trial in various courts of law in Calabar, Cross River State. We are waiting for court order to dispose over 2000 drums of diesel impounded by the command.

He said each of the drums contained over 250 litres of diesel, adding that last year, the command destroyed two boats and several drums of impounded drums of diesel in the creeks. He said, “We are waiting for court order and what court decides is what we would do”

“We burnt some boats and products in the creeks last year; we did that some two years ago too. The State Commander, Stephen Zuale Lar is a zero tolerant to bunkering, he is committed to making sure that bunkering activities are eradicated or reduced to minimum.”

He said bunkering activities was a kind of illegal ways of dealing with petroleum product (diesel). “It is our core mandate, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) is the organization in charge of doing that.

“Every other organization that arrest oil thieves must hand over the suspects to us, we are the only organization saddled with the responsibility to prosecute the oil suspects. The Navy, Army and Police and others would arrest but hand over to us for prosecution.

“In December 2016, about 16 suspects were convicted to life imprisonment at the Federal High Court in Calabar, they are at Afokang as I am speaking to you.

He, however, noted that in Cross River State, there is no pipeline, “We don’t even produce oil but the activities in the State is bunkering, where they use the major water channels to transact this illegal business.

“They carried these products from Bayelsa and Rivers States through Cross River State to Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea. Where our office is located is very close to the creeks where these activities are going on.

“We have drums of diesel product littered everywhere in the command, it is as a result of the arrest we made and some in collaboration with Nigeria Navy.”