The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Delta Command, has paraded three suspected oil thieves apprehended with about 16,000 litres of stolen products assumed to be refined diesel.

Parading the suspects in Warri on Tuesday, the state commandant, Jimoh Suleiman, said the product was laden in a large wooden boat, popularly called the Cotonou boat.

The suspects were earlier apprehended on Sunday within the neighbourhood of Madagho Community in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of the state.

The commandant explained that NSCDC operatives had been on the trail of the suspects before they were eventually arrested.

“I am here to parade the three suspects we arrested on April 21, 2024, at about 2:36 p.m. at Shell Escravos area around Madagho village settlement. My boys have been out for more than three days on the trail of the suspects before we were fortunate to arrest them on Sunday. They were apprehended alongside nine GP tanks, with four of the tanks loaded with the product, two pumping machines, a generator and a counting machine. For you to arrest suspects with pumping and counting machines with a lot of products (refined), not black, for us to say it is locally refined. It is obvious that this product was vandalised somewhere; the suspects tampered with the pipelines,” he said.

Mr Suleiman, however, said the feat was an indication that his personnel were committed to fighting oil thieves sabotaging the nation’s economy.

He warned criminals to desist from the Delta Creeks, declaring that they were out against them.

“We are not relenting and we will not relent; we are not sleeping and we will not sleep. Others who have a plan to sabotage the economy should move away from Delta because we are out for them,” he warned.

(NAN)