Port Harcourt, July 11, 2023 – The Nigerian Army says it has arrested 12 persons over alleged oil bunkering in Port Harcourt.
Brig-Gen. Edi Effiong, the Garrison Commander, said this while parading the suspects before newsmen.
He said one other person, Desmond Okeh, was arrested for alleged impersonation.
The army said the 12 suspects were arrested by the troops of the Division while siphoning crude oil from the Rumuekpe/Okporowo pipeline near the Okoba community in Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He said this while parading the suspects in Port Harcourt.
Effiong, who is also the Commander of Sector 3, Operation Delta Safe Military Joint Taskforce, said the suspects would be handed over to the appropriate agency for prosecution.
“These ones that have been grabbed, first of all, we will profile them. We are not the prosecuting agency.
“So, we will hand them over to the prosecuting agency.
“For oil bunkering activities, it is the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps that is in charge after profiling and getting some information from them.
“We are here to checkmate the activities of illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta because if we do not checkmate these activities, they will affect us and the economy.
“So, we want to ensure that the oil bunkers are not given the freedom to do whatever they want so as not to affect us in terms of the economy,” he said.
Earlier, the Spokesperson for the Division, Lt. Col. Ikedichi Iweha, said the fake soldier was from Okija in Anambra State.
He said this was the second time he would be arrested for the same crime.
He said the suspect (Okeh) was arrested on the 6th of July, 2023 by the 6 Division Provost group at a new generation Bank in the GRA axis in Port Harcourt fully kitted in military camouflage and a fake military Identity Card.
He said Okey was bearing a fake duty number of 16NA/75/2038, ‘Lance Corporal Okeh Desmond’ at the time of his arrest.
