A total of 42 Suspects have been arrested with about 41 trucks of Illegal Petroleum Products Impounded by the IGP’s Team.
This is part of the effort of the Nigeria Police Force to maintain a sustained fight against illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism, economic saboteurs, and other criminal elements in the country.
A statement signed by the IGP Usman Baba through the Ag. Force Public Relations Officer CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, at the Force Headquarters Abuja.
Disclosed that on the heels of the achievements recorded by the Inspector-General of Police Special Task Force on Petroleum/Illegal Bunkering (IGP-STFPIB) the force will intensify effort to deal decisively with the nation’s economic saboteurs so as to put to an end all forms of illegal bunkering in the country.
“Successfully impounded 41 trucks, 13 other vehicles; arrested 42 suspects out of whom 21 have been charged to court with 17 still under investigations while 4 convictions have been secured in court; pending and final forfeiture of 14 Tankers and 4 Cars to the Federal Government of Nigeria, with 6 cases pending in various Federal High Court branches across the federation. Equally, a total of 1,057,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 30,000 litres of Low Pour Furl Oil (LPFO), 75,000 litres of Crude oil, and 9,900 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) were recovered between 2021 till date. 
These successes were achieved in Rivers State and some other parts of the country, a sequel to the unrelenting pragmatic and sustained fight.
The collective effort has assisted greatly in the fight against bunker traders and purveyors of adulterated petroleum products within the country.”
Adding that the suspects “were 31-year-old Rabiu Halidu from Katsina State, 30-year-old Michael Okoro from Rivers State, 50-year-old Arinze Eze from Enugu State, 22-year-old Lukman Musa from Kogi State, 18-year-old Sefiu Ibrahim from Kano State, and 25-year-old Nura Isiaku from Kaduna State. The trio of Lukman, Sefiu, and Nura hid drums of crude oil in a truck stacked with sacks of fertilizer. They however ran out of luck upon thorough stop and search by an operational team of the IGP-STFPIB.”
The Inspector-General of Police while commending the men of the force for their giant stride called for frequent operational patrols to curb incessant activities of illegal bunker traders and economic saboteurs while focusing on the prevention of crimes, and protection of lives and property in line with extant laws of the land.
