The Oyo State Command of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps has arrested seven men for their involvement in the diversion of 66,600 litres of Premium Motor Sprit from Saki, Oyo State to Niger Republic.
The suspects are Hakeem Amidu, 42; Sarafa Aloyinlapa, 30; Sulaiman Adeniji, 27; Hassan Ayiki, 26; Abdulrauf Abidin, 26; Sola Goke, 25; and Noel Yemi, 24.
The state Commandant of NSCDC, Adewoye John Oyedokun, told journalists while parading the suspects in Ibadan, that 300 drums filled with petrol were loaded into two trucks but that the command acted promptly after receiving an intelligence report. The owner of the product, simply identified as Alhaji Towobola, an indigene of Saki in the state, was said to be at large with other accomplices.
The commandant said, “We got an intelligence report from Saki that some people were drawing fuel from a tanker into drums and loading them into two trucks. They were taking the trucks to Niger Republic from Saki. We informed the Nigerian Army to provide backing for us in the operation. There were 300 drums of fuel, each of them containing 220 litres of petrol.
“They were not arrested without resistance. The suspects were many and they tried to attack the team of security operatives. But we had the upper hand. Seven men were arrested while the owners and other accomplices were at large. Soon, we will catch them. They were actually caught in the act and we will charge them to court after our investigation.”
Oyedokun added that the price of the product in Niger Republic, which was in triple fold as against the price in Nigeria, attracted the suspects, stressing that it was not the first time the perpetrators of the act would be dealing in the illegal business.
One of the suspects, Adeniji, said they were only contracted to load the drums into the trucks at the rate of N150 each.
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