The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad has uncovered a massive illegal oil refining site in a forest in the Odagwa community of the Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.

According to the NSCDC, the site has 10 illegal refineries with an estimated 500, 000 litres of crude oil contained in about 50 illegally constructed reservoirs.

The security agency said it arrested five suspects during a raid on the site.

The NSCDC spokesman, Rivers State Command, Olufemi Ayodele, disclosed this while parading the suspects before newsmen.

Ayodele said the site was uncovered based on credible intelligence gathered.

He stated, “The Commandant General of the NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Audi, has reiterated over time that all acts of economic sabotage would be fought to a standstill as suspects arrested would face the full wrath of the law, irrespective of their sponsors.

“In furtherance, the CG gave a marching order to the Special Intelligence Squad, charging them to be more thorough and results-oriented in their operations.

“Based on credible intelligence. the CG’s SIS swung into action and uncovered 10 illegal local refineries in a forest located at Odagwa Community in the Etche LGA of Rivers State where five suspects were caught in the act of illegally refining crude oil.

“While conducting an operational tour across the large thick forest about 10 different cooking pots of 50,000 litres capacity were seen with one big pumping machine, reservoir tanks, 25 rubber hoses used for pumping crude oil and many long galvanised pipes with unquantified litres of crude oil and illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil stored in six large reservoirs and other 20 smaller reservoirs dug in the ground.”

He gave the names of the arrested suspects and their ages as follows: Favour Chukwu, 29; Desmond Umeh, 25; Godwin Amos, 22’Bineace Galion, 38; and Goodnews David, 23.

The state NSCDC spokesman said the suspects would face prosecution at the end of investigations.

The Commandant of the NSCDC, Rivers State Command, Basil Igwebueze, condemned what he termed the ‘unrepentant’ act by ‘unscrupulous elements’ who tapped into the oil wellhead of ‘Heirs Energies Limited and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited located around Imo River 2 Oil and Gas field at Odagwa in Etche.

Igwebueze said through different channels, the criminals inserted their galvanised pipes and siphoned crude oil while processing the same within the premises without recourse.

Igwebueze said, “The uncovering of this massive illegal oil bunkering site is a landmark achievement and an indication that the NSCDC as the lead agency in the protection of all critical national assets and infrastructure will continue to combat crude oil theft with a renewed vigour even as we work in synergy with sisters security agencies to salvage the nation’s economy from saboteurs.”