NSCDC Discovers Warehouse Used for Stolen Crude Oil Storage in Rivers Community

Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have uncovered a warehouse in the Igwuruta area of Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State, used for storing stolen crude oil.

The Corps disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Port Harcourt by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Ihemnacho Umeado.

According to the statement, the crude oil is believed to have been stolen from vandalised pipelines and stored in galvanised pipes (GP) tanks, awaiting further illegal processing. The exact quantity of the product has not yet been ascertained.

The discovery followed several days of intelligence gathering, which led operatives of the Anti-Vandal Unit to raid the location.

During an on-the-spot assessment of the site, the state NSCDC Commandant, Dr Joachin Okafor, reiterated the Corps’ zero tolerance for illegal bunkering activities in any form.

Okafor emphasised that the command would leave no stone unturned in tracking down and arresting those involved in acts of economic sabotage, regardless of their standing in society. He also raised concerns over the environmental impact of such illegal activities on the area’s biodiversity.

The commandant, therefore, warned vandals to steer clear of the state or face the full weight of the law.

He further directed the intelligence department to launch a comprehensive investigation to unravel the source of the stolen product and unmask the perpetrators for possible arrest and prosecution.

Recall that in 2024, NSCDC operatives also busted an illegal oil dump site and impounded a truck laden with adulterated petroleum products in Igbo-Etche, in Etche Local Government Area of the state. In that operation, crude oil was found stored in over 70 tanks at an abandoned construction site.