NSCDC destroys 200 illegal refineries in Niger Delta

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(Nigeria) The Commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abdullahi  Gana Muhammadu has set up a special task to clampdown on saboteurs, in his drive to stem the tide of vandalism, illegal refineries, oil theft, and illegal bunkering in the country.
This is in line with the Corps mandate of the protection of critical infrastructure and national assets.
The Corps helms man while charging the Special Task Force on their responsibilities in tracking down vandals and operatives of illegal refineries, also directed the state commandants to cooperate and work in synergy with the Commandant General’s Special Task Force assigned to their states for the special operation in clamping down on illegal dealers on petroleum products, vandals, illegal refineries, illegal bunkering, marketers involved in diversion of petroleum products.
The operation also extends to filling stations selling above approved government pump price, hoarding of products, those involved in black marketing and racketeering as well as other related crimes for prosecution in line with the law of the federation.
To stress the need for the Special Task Force,  Abdullahi said, the Corps as at December 2015, had dentified and destroyed over 200 illegal refineries in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, Edo, Kogi, Ondo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom  States among others and over 120 suspects involved in the act of vandalism and other associated crimes prosecuted and sentenced to various prisons terms by the High Courts in their respective states.
He said that, about 250 suspects were still undergoing prosecution in various state High Courts with over 80 trucks containing petroleum products impounded with several operational equipment belonging to suspected vandals recovered. 
Abdullahi charged the Task Force and other operational officers to live up to expectation by justifying the confidence the government and the people have in the Corps by ensuring that vandalism was reduced to the barest minimum by deploying all necessary mechanisms to check mate the illicit act.
In the same vein, the Corps Chief Executive assured the government of the Corps readiness to tackle vandalism and other illicit crimes in line with the Corps mandate in the protection of critical infrastructure and national assets in all ramifications by deploying all necessary arsenal to monitor and to clamp down on decedents.
 ‘‘We are an agency of government created to tackle this onerous task of fighting the scourge of vandalism, illegal bunkering, illegal refinery, oil theft, and other allied crimes, therefore we will continue to fight these illicit acts diligently in ensuring that, the Nation is rid of these obnoxious activity perpetrated by some few individuals that have posed as an enemy of  the state as a result of greed and selfishness.”
He appreciated other securities agencies and the stakeholders especially the Armed Forces, Joint Task Force, JTF for their support and assisting the corps in prosecuting the war against vandalism.

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