A suspected illegal petroleum refinery in the state capital of Abakaliki has been discovered, according to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps’ (NSCDC) Ebonyi State Command.
An articulated lorry with the license plate Abuja ABC 624 XC was reportedly seized by the corps as it prepared to release 45,000 gallons of suspected stolen unrefined petroleum product at the refinery.
At a news conference on Monday in Abakaliki, Francis Nnadi, the state commander of the NSCDC, made this announcement and said that four suspected oil thieves who were engaged in the product’s unlawful transit had also been taken into custody.
According to him: “Our men on Saturday night, acting on credible intelligence, tracked a truck ladened with unrefined suspected petroleum product conveyed from Cross River to Abakaliki.
“The vehicle and four suspects involved in the illegal activity were arrested at a remote but densely populated area located at 18 Engr. Abbas Egwu Street, off Ebonyi Voice Newspaper, along the Old Abakaliki-Enugu Road.
“The place is suspected to be used for illegal refining of petroleum products in the state. On interrogation, the driver said he trans-loaded the product from another truck, adding that the waybill read somewhere in Cross River.
“The danger is not only that they are doing this illegal refining but in a densely populated environment. Every petroleum product is inflammable and hazardous, and this refinery is located in an environment where people are living.”
He emphasised that more investigations are being conducted to identify the individuals responsible for the economic sabotage and stated that the premises used for the purportedly illicit refinery have been sealed.
He added that after the investigation was complete, the suspects would be arraigned in court and the seized merchandise would be sent to laboratory analysis.
In an interview, Ben Nwachi, the officer in charge of the NSCDC crack unit who apprehended and detained the suspects, stated: “The truck is billed to go to Cross River and according to the waybill, what is written there is Low Poor Fuel Oil, but it is a suspected crude oil product.
“They want to come and discharge it at the illegal refining site here in Abakaliki. They have bought some GP tanks and have even gone to buy more and other materials used for the illegal refining business.
“We got the information and intercepted them; this truck carrying the product was not the original truck that loaded it at the depot according to their waybill; this is a different truck entirely.
“Again, they have locked the truck’s three compartments up and the discharging point down such that nobody is even sure whether what is on the waybill is actually what the truck is carrying.
“So, they wanted to discharge the product in an unregistered and unlicensed outlet; you don’t discharge petroleum product in that manner; it’s from a depot to a licenced outlet.”
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