29 December 2015, Abuja – The Commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, 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 to protect critical infrastructure and national assets.
The Corps’ helms man, while charging the Special Task Force on its 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 and marketers involved in diversion of petroleum products.
The operation also extends to petrol filling stations selling above approved government pump price, hoarders of petroleum products, those involved in black marketing and racketeering as well as other related crimes, for prosecution in line with the law of the federation.
Stressing the need for the Special Task Force, Abdullahi said the Corps, as at December 2015, had identified 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.
- Vanguard
