Shell officials arrested over oil theft

Summonu

Destroys 51 illegal refineries, four boats
Men of the Joint Military Task Force, JTF, codenamed Operation Pulo Shield, have arrested two personnel of the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, for involvement in the economic sabotage activity on a pipeline in Kporgho Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The two suspects, Mr. Bori Friday and Mr. Young Apahia, are surveillance staff of the company, employed to protect oil pipeline from vandalism, according to the JTF.
Army Public Relations Officer, 2 Brigade Bori Camp, Major Michael Etete, said that the JTF on patrol discovered at about 9.30p.m.on Monday a broken pipeline and illegal connection on an SPDC pipeline in Kporgho Gokana LGA of Rivers State with both men found on the scene of the pipeline vandalism.
Etete said both suspects were arrested and transferred to operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Rivers State Command, for prosecution.
Only last week, the JTF complained about oil companies frustrating their efforts at ridding the country of oil theft and illegal bunkering operations.
Shell did not immediately respond to inquiries seeking comments on the issue.
The JTF had raided illegal oil refining sites around Awoba, Bille, Km. 45 and Elemakire, all in Degema LGA of Rivers State on November 14 and 15 where three boats loaded with 55 empty drums; five speed boats and one illegal refinery with five surface tanks and one underground storage tank and a wooden boat all loaded with illegally refined AGO were destroyed.
Etete, however, explained that the JTF would continue the fight against illegal bunkering and oil theft.
“Shell Petroleum Development Company’s inability to repair or even clamp over 70 illegal loading points already discovered over the last one year in the sector is adversely affecting the fight against oil theft due to continued use by oil thieves. This is highly frustrating to the JTF operations.
“Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC, should cause SPDC management to repair or clamp all identified illegal loading points,” the JTF spokesman said.
Meanwhile, a joint antipiracy and illegal bunkering security operation yesterday resulted in the destruction of 51 illegal refineries, four dug-out boats, and arrest of six youths in an operation that lasted for about nine hours in Ke and Pero-Kparakama communities in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The six youths arrested include two ladies, Miss Jane Ijeoma Duke, 20 and two teenage brothers, Godspower and Jonathan Robinson, as well as two others, Sandwell Jumbo and Chinonso Ochuma.
The security forces also recovered one FN pistol, eight machetes, five AK-47 rifles, 12 AK 47 magazines, nine identification cards, including one of a police officer and N535,000 cash.
The suspects, who were paraded and later handed over to CSP Gbiwen Francis, the Police Sector Commander of JTF for further investigation and prosecution, however told journalists that they were innocent.
Addressing a joint press conference at NNS Pathfinder, the Commander, Commodore Oyetunji Fadeyi, said the joint operation was to exterminate illegal bunkering and piracy. He stressed that the operation followed useful information from sea pirates earlier arrested.
In another development, security chiefs in Rivers State have once again called for the establishment of a special court for speedy prosecution of piracy and illegal oil bunkering suspects.
“I think we have to improve that aspect of our laws. Arresting them like this and prosecuting them will act as deterrent to other criminals, I think that is the major area.
“I support the call by Commander Yusuf Buratai (2 Brigade of Nigeria Army, Port Harcourt) for the setting up of special courts to try these cases faster and that is why I am reiterating it.
“If you look down there (pointing) you will see three tankers, they have been arrested a long time ago, but the prosecution is still in the pipeline. So, we hope that our justice system will be faster and I think we can improve on it.
“Special courts can also help because that is what we resolved in our meeting, that the government should create special courts to try these offences,” Fadeyi said.
Commander of 97 Special Operations Group, Air Commodore Elam Ngokala, said the call for a special court was the decision of the service commanders in Rivers State.
“It is a collective decision; we discussed it at a roundtable before we came out with it. It wasn’t one man’s view, that was the view of all the service chiefs in Rivers State,” he said.