EFCC nabs five suspected oil thieves at private jetty in Port Harcourt

Glory Ebomah

Operatives of the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested five suspected oil bunkerers for dealing in petroleum products without the requisite licence.

They were arrested on Monday, April 26, 2022, in an uncompleted, one-storey building in Eastern bypass, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where they are allegedly operating a private jetty, with two vessels christened, Fol Courage and Samriyahkings Town, anchored at the jetty.

The suspects are Ubong Samson Archubong, Iminabo Williams, Ndah Philip Ntia, Egbocha Kennedy and Francis Innocent.

Verified intelligence available to the EFCC showed that the suspects were illegally refining petroleum products from the premises where they were arrested and loading the same into trucks and small vehicles that patronize them as major customers. The jetty is allegedly owned by a traditional ruler.

Other items recovered from the suspects include a Toyota car, 203 jerry cans of 25 litres capacity each, 10 drums of 250 litres capacity each, one sieve, 11 pumping machines and hose, four containers, two lines of building with many offices in the jetty, a storage tank of about 60,000 litres capacity, one rescue fiver boat and 10 Geepee tanks.

The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.