How we deceive security agents, by suspected vandals

Some suspected pipeline vandals yesterday spoke of the tricks they employ to beat law enforcement agents.

“We forge Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) waybills, major oil marketers’ invoices and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG) stickers to deceive security agents,” they said when they were paraded before reporters at the Force Headquarters Anex, Obalende, Lagos.

They were arrested by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Taskforce on pipeline vandalism.

Among the four paraded suspects are Ganiyu Oresanya, 38, Mutiu Bello also known as Omo Oja, and one Damilare, who had fake copies of Oando, Conoil and MRS’ invoices, and forged NNPC waybills with them.

They were said to have been arrested at Ikorodu following intelligence report on their operations in Sagamu and Ikorodu.

The suspects were said to have been caught on their way to Ondo State to sell products they siphoned from NNPC pipelines at Sagamu and Ikorodu.

Oresanya said he was in charge of forging the documents, adding: “We make sure that we do the background work of covering our loading with fake NNPC documents and fake invoice from oil marketing companies so that we would not be caught.

“I have been in the business for a long time. I am a printer and I print these documents myself. I did not know we would be caught because we are very careful in our jobs by backing the stolen products with all necessary documents.

“I supply all the fake documents while Bello produces the tanker that comes to carry the product from the pipeline. Damilare is the one who loads the products. He is our boss,” he said.

Bello, who claimed he was contracted to trans-load the petrol into another truck, said he did not know the products were stolen.

He claimed that one Temidayo invited him, adding that he was offered N70, 000 for the job.

“This is my first time and I was promised N70,000. It was one Temidayo who called me for the job. They didn’t tell me that it was stolen oil.

“They said I was going to trans-load products from jerry cans at that area. They told me they are into Black Market but when I got there, I saw plenty jerrycans,” he claimed.

Addressing reporters, the task force’s Sector Commander, Solomon Ubani, a Superintendent of Police (SP), said: “We have made breakthrough in the past few days. We have rejiged our intelligence for some time now and it is yielding results.

“These hoodlums have continued to break our pipelines and sabotage the efforts of the Federal Government.

“We reliably gathered that some vandals are planning to break pipeline at Sagamu, so we increased our intelligence and arrested one Mutiu Bello aka Omo Oja who helped us in arresting other members of the oil pipeline breakers cartel.”

He warned pipeline vandals to desist from the act or face police wrath.