Police operatives have arrested a Nigerian Navy officer and four security personnel of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and some workers of the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) in Warri, Delta State, for illegally siphoning fuel from a vandalised pipeline at the WRPC jetty in Warri, Delta State.
The arrested navy officer vandals by the operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Special Task Force on Pipelines Vandalism and Illegal Bunkering was identified as the Naval Chief of Administration at the Warri jetty.
The four NNPC security personnel arrested at the crime scene include Kingsley Papper, Enekabor Mitaire, Abor Theophilus and Amagre Ernest.
Sources stated that the Special Taskforce Commander, CSP Murtala Abdullahi, had written to the Navy Commander at WRPC jetty, to present his Administrative Chief, some NNPC security personnel and depot staff for investigation over the incident.
“The IG Special TaskForce on Pipelines Vandalism and Illegal Bunkering received information that suspected vandals who were identified as NNPC security staff, Navy Admin Chief and some workers of NNPC depot, were siphoning fuel from the pipelines at the WRPC jetty, Warri.
“So, we mobilised to the scene and arrested four NNPC security personnel and some staff of WRPC and we have written a letter to the navy authorities to present the naval officer who was mentioned by the suspects,” a source disclosed.
It was learnt that the TaskForce also intercepted a Man Diesel truck loaded with 13,630 litres of fuel suspected to have been siphoned from a vandalised NNPC pipeline at Dutse Chikun area in Kaduna.
A suspect, Mamuda Ibrahim, was arrested while the truck with Kaduna registration number, SB 860 ZAR, was impounded and handed over to the Petroleum and Products Marketing Company Area Office, Kaduna.
Ibrahim was said to have been apprehended by a vigilance group while his accomplices, Aminu Ibrahim, Sunday Dauda and one Musa, escaped.
It was learnt that the police had commenced investigation into the case and operatives were said to be on the trail of the fleeing vandals.