The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it impounded 37,100 litres of diesel at an illegal depot in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The Commandant of the corps in the state, Edenabu Eweka, made this known in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Olufemi Omole, on Tuesday in Akure.
Eweka said the discovery and seizure were in line with the Commandant-General of the corps’ vision of zero tolerance for vandalism and destruction of critical national assets and infrastructure.
He said the command, through sustained and credible intelligence, burst an “illegal surface” storage facility for Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), also known as diesel, in Ore.
Eweka said some criminal elements and economic saboteurs used the arena as a storage base after engaging in oil pipeline vandalism on the high sea and the creeks in the Niger Delta region.
He said the suspects transported the illegally refined products through badges and boats to the coastal areas of Ondo state, mostly through Agadagba, Ijaw and Ido Osun.
He said investigations further revealed that Ore was fast becoming the headquarters of illegal surface depots of AGO in the South West.
“Most tankers do load adulterated AGO via surface tanks and thus distribute for sales across Nigeria.
“The command’s Anti-vandal Squad tactically invaded the scene of the crime. The suspects, however, ran away on sighting our men.
“These unscrupulous elements convey the product using buses, jeeps and cars to where it would finally be stored in the surface tanks located in Ore town.
“Some of the exhibits recovered from the scene are a Toyota Sequoia Jeep, a Toyota Camry car, one pumping machine, two industrial hose pipes, 70 kegs of 30 litres AGO and 35,000 litres of suspected adulterated AGO,” Eweka said.
He vowed that the command would combat and eradicate all forms of economic criminalities in the state.
He warned oil pipeline vandals and those bent on destroying critical national assets and infrastructure in the state to desist or face the full wrath of the law.