The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says efforts are being redoubled to ensure that unrepentant pipeline vandals are arrested and prosecuted.

This is contained in a statement by the NSCDC public relations officer, Babatunde Afolabi, on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him, men of the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CGsSIS) dismantled several illegal refineries in forests between Rivers and Abia states.

”However, the reconstruction of these refineries has been recurring,” he said.

Mr Afolabi said that the unrepentant act of engaging in vandalism of oil pipelines, crude oil theft and illegal oil merchandise was sabotaging the economy.

He warned vandals to desist from its operations as the Corps remained dedicated to ensure that the oil sector and other sectors in the country were adequately protected.

Mr Afolabi said that following an intelligence report, the CGsSIS recently foiled an attempt by some vandals to reconstruct illegal refineries in a thick forest located at Obiakpu/Obuzor Communities in Abia State.

“Our operatives acted based on credible intelligence that some criminal elements have reconstructed new illegal refineries which had earlier been dislodged at the crime scene.

“Intelligence report revealed that the suspects regrouped, reconstructed cooking ovens, refabricated pipes and other locally refining materials to commence production of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) among others.

“At the illegal refining site, we sighted over 50 metallic drums used as ovens, about 600 galvanised pipes, and 30 metallic open reservoirs alongside different sizes of Industrial hoses,” he said.

He added that although no suspects had been arrested in connection to this crime as efforts were being hastened to effect their arrest.

(NAN)