Four suspected pipeline vandals arrested in Ikorodu and Sagamu in Lagos and Ogun States respectively, last week revealed how they printed fake invoices and waybills of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to evade security agents.
The suspects, who were arrested by the Inspector General of Police Special Squad on Pipeline Vandalism, also said they used fake invoices belonging to oil companies such as Conoil, Oando, MRS and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
It was gathered that the suspects were intercepted at the Ikorodu area of the state, after siphoning petroleum products from an NNPC pipeline in the Ikorodu and Shagamu areas.
The gang was heading to Ondo State to sell the stolen products when they were arrested following an intelligence report received by the head of the intelligence unit of anti-pipeline vandalism, Niyi Festus, a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
On receiving the intelligence report, the commander of the Inspector General of Police Special Squad on Pipeline Vandalism, Valentine Olumese, a Chief Superintendent of police (CSP), gave directives to his operatives.
He also warned oil thieves to desist from the illicit business or face the wrath of plain-clothed policemen dispersed all over the country ready to arrest them.
He said: “We would not tolerate any sabotage against the Federal Government of Nigeria. We would continue to go after them and make sure they do not escape the long arm of the law.”
Also, the sector commander of the squad in Lagos, Solomon Ubani, a Superintendent of Police, said the squad arrested the suspects following intelligence reports.
He said: “We have made breakthroughs in the past few days. We have rejigged our intelligence network for sometime and it is yielding results. “These hoodlums have continued to break our pipelines and sabotage the effort of the federal government.
“We reliably gathered that some vandals were planning to break a pipeline at Sagamu, so we increased our surveillance and arrested one Mutiu Bello, a.k.a Omo Oja, who aided us in arresting other members of the oil pipeline breakers cartel.”
In his confessional statement, the kingpin, identified as Ganiyu Oresanya, said the documents aid the transportation of stolen petroleum products from the site to where it is sold.
He said: “We make sure that we do the background work of covering our loading with fake NNPC documents and fake invoices from oil marketing companies so that we would not be caught. “I have been in the business for a long time. I am a printer and I print these documents myself. I did not know we would be caught because we were very careful with our job.
“I supply all the fake documents while Mutiu Bello produces the tanker that comes to carry the product from the pipeline. Damilare is the one who loads the products. He is our oga.”
Bello, who happens to be the driver of the trucks used by the gang, confessed that he was paid N70,000 to deliver the products to Ondo State.
He said: “This is the first time I will be called in for this job and I was promised N70,000. It was one Temidayo who called me for the job, but they didn’t tell me that it was stolen oil.
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