Five vandals nabbed, 87 jerrycans of petrol recovered

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ogun State Command, has arrested five suspected vandals in Ibafo.

The suspects names were given as Banwo Olaide (38), Kabiru Rahimi (13), Tunde Rahimi (25), Disu Toheeb (27), and Jamiu Koleosho(33).

The state Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, Kareem Olanrewaju, said the suspects were arrested near the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s pipelines at Ibafo, in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area.

Olaide who hails from Ijebu Ode, confessed to the crime and claimed that he was lured into vandalism of petroleum pipelines by one Sunkanmi.

He explained that he bought 50 litres for N4,000 and sold same for N6,000.

Olaide said he knew that the petrol in his possession was got through vandalism, but he could not say which place in particular was vandalised.

He also confessed that he was arrested during his third trip to the area.

Toheeb, who claimed to be a cobbler, said he was called by his older brother, Olaide, to bring some money to bribe the NSCDC to release him, but he was also arrested.

Rahimi said he was the younger brother of Tunde Rahimi, and his “motor boy”.

Koleosho said he was on his way back to Lagos from Abeokuta where he went to offload some materials when he was stopped at Ibafo by the vandals to help them carry some jerrycans of petrol.

He said he charged them N10,000 to convey the consignment from Ibafo to Bamgbose on the Lagos Island.

He said, “They took over the bus and drove into the bush and later came out with it, fully loaded with petrol. I was still on the Lagos -Ibadan Expressway when I was arrested by the NSCDC operatives on patrol.”

The state Commandant, Akinwande Aboluwoye, said the new strategy adopted by the corps in the command was yielding positive results.

Aboluwoye said it would not be business as usual for vandals in the state, adding that the suspects would be charged to court after investigation.

He stated that exhibits recovered from the suspects included two buses with number plates, GGE 94 3XL, and APP 123XH, 87 fifty-litre jerrycans containing petrol, five handsets, N50,000 cash, as well as tools and documents.