The Special Task Force on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering in the office of the Inspector-General of Police, has arrested members of a syndicate who specialises in smuggling refined petroleum products to Cameroon.
The task force recovered no fewer than 13 trucks with stolen crude oil and refined Automotive Gas Oil also known as Diesel, as well as Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol, during various operations conducted in July.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja.
He also disclosed that no fewer than 17 persons were arrested during the operations across the country by the task force.
Recall that a few weeks ago, President Bola Tinubu had directed the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, to coordinate all heads of security forces to end the stealing of crude oil.
The police spokesman, who was flanked during the press briefing by the Commander of the Special Task Force, Bayo Sulaiman, said the suspects were arrested by the operatives in Adamawa State.
He added that preliminary investigations conducted by the police showed that the syndicate specialises in taking crude oil as well as refined petroleum products to neighbouring countries.
He said, “On 13th July, 2024, operatives of the Taskforce attached to Adamawa Sector intercepted 3 Toyota Corolla cars laden with 130 jerry cans of 25 litre capacity filled with petroleum product reasonably suspected to be Premium Motor Spirit.
“One of the cars was carrying 50 jerry cans and the other two carrying 40 jerry cans each, making a total of 130 jerry cans. The vehicles and exhibits have been impounded at the Girei Divisional Police Headquarters, Adamawa State, while the suspects were taken into custody.
“Preliminary Investigation revealed that the culprits are part of an organized criminal syndicate specialized in smuggling petroleum products into neighboring Cameroon specifically.”
Commander of the task force, Bayo Sulaiman, who conducted journalists round the impounded trucks, said all the 17 suspects arrested have been charged to court.
He stressed that the unit of the force doesn’t hold suspects unnecessarily.
Sulaiman, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, disclosed that the police have applied to court for a forfeiture of the vehicles, trucks and other exhibits to the government.
According to him, “All 17 suspects have been charged. Those who have been charged to court, some of them are in prison now. The exhibits are now becoming the government’s property.
“Both the content and the vehicle. We’ve gotten some orders. Exhibits are now government properties. Our legal section is working very hard to make sure that we get conviction on this thing.”
