The Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Dr Ahmed Audi, has pledged to deal decisively with any personnel found culpable in oil bunkering in the Niger Delta.
Audi gave the assurance when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.
He said the corps was investigating reports of alleged collusion between some personnel and oil thieves in the Niger Delta.
Audi said that the NSCDC had upgraded its Standard Operating Procedure and Code of Conduct, providing adequate mechanisms of handling disciplinary cases.
“We have approved that we will carry out discrete intelligence and investigation on the role of our personnel that are allegedly involved in oil theft.
“I will like to assure Nigerians that as soon as we are through with the investigations, anybody that is found culpable will be severely sanctioned.
“To also add to that, what we did recently was to disband and reorganise the Anti-Vandalism Unit with the view to injecting fresh blood.
“So, what we did was that anybody who has served in the Niger Delta region for more than six months to one year is leaving that place and we will now bring new people.
“Let me also reiterate that as soon as we conclude investigations, we will try to make it public to Nigerians.
“Anybody no matter how highly placed, no matter his level or rank that is involved in colluding or conniving or in some form of compromise with oil thieves would be severely sanctioned,” Audi added.
………. Arrests Over 400 Suspects For Pipeline Vandalism
Meanwhile the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps says it has so far arrested over 400 suspected oil thieves nationwide.
The NSCDC Commandant General (CG), Ahmed Audi, made the disclosure when he appeared on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.
“We have arrested over 400 suspects that were found vandalizing our pipelines and some were found transporting vandalized crude oil, we have closed down and burnt over 50 illegally refineries,” he said.
Audi, however, said that the incidences of oil theft remained very alarming and of great concern to government and good citizens of the country.
He said that the Corps still require advance security gadgets to apprehend and monitor the activities of oil thieves in pipeline areas across the country.
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According to him, the recent provision of gunboats will help to track and apprehend the oil thieves.
“We have recently commissioned some number of gunboats and the gunboats have in it some very high calibre security gadgets to be used to monitor and apprehend these oil thieves.
“We also recently commissioned a number of operational vehicles at which I also made it clear that we have installed in them some very sensitive security gadgets that will give us information.
“This will give us information on how our personnel will monitor the pipelines with a view to arresting and prosecuting,” he said.
Audi explained that the EFCC was also involved with the prosecution of oil thieves, just like the NSCDC.
“It may interest you to know that if you go through the Petroleum Act, you would know that the two agencies that are expected to prosecute oil thieves are the Civil Defence and EFCC,” he said.
He assured that the NSCDC would remain committed to the protection of Critical National Assets and Infrastructure in line with its mandate, including oil pipelines.
“We are all aware that till today the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy is still oil, it’s only recently the government decided to diversify to other sectors like agriculture, minerals etc,” he said.
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