Oil theft: CDS inaugurates new team, NSCDC arrests seven

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, has inaugurated a joint monitoring team to enhance military operations in the South-South region aimed at curbing oil theft.

This move comes as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps reported intercepting three oil-laden boats and arresting seven suspects at Woji and Iwofe, both on the outskirts of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

A statement by the Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, revealed that the CDS, during the inauguration, stated that the establishment of the new team was intended to support the Federal Government’s goal of achieving a daily oil production of 2.2 million barrels.

“The CDS highlighted that the role of the monitoring teams is to optimize military and security agency operations within the oil-producing region,” the statement said. “The objective is to assess military performance and report to commanders for improvement.”

He emphasised the collaboration between the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies, which has significantly contributed to the increase in daily oil production in the region.

Gusau also mentioned that the CDS urged the team to work towards increasing the nation’s daily oil production to 2.2 million barrels per day. He instructed the team to coordinate with the Joint Task Force, South-South Operation Delta Safe, and other security agencies and stakeholders in the oil sector to ensure smooth operations.

“The team is aware of President Bola Tinubu’s mandate to increase oil production to 2.2 million barrels per day. Securing critical national infrastructure and oil-producing areas, as well as collaborating with oil companies to maximize production by December, are vital components of their mandate,” the statement added.

The Chairman of the Defence Monitoring Team, Maj. Gen. Jamiu Jimoh, acknowledged the substantial support and cooperation from troops and other security agencies in the region.

He pledged that the team would work relentlessly to achieve the target of producing 2.2 million barrels of oil per day as directed by the President.

Meanwhile, the NSCDC in Rivers State paraded seven suspected oil thieves arrested in Woji and Iwofe, both on the outskirts of Port Harcourt.

NSCDC Commandant in Rivers, Joachin Okafor, reported that the suspects were caught scooping oil products from a barge and loading them into cellophane bags for transport to an undisclosed location.

“We are here at Woji Jetty along the Slaughter area in Port Harcourt. It is very concerning to see such a large barge filled with illegally refined AGO,” Okafor said. “As of now, we have arrested two suspects and the director of the company where the barge is located has been invited for questioning. We are continuing to search for more perpetrators and their sponsors.”

The remaining five suspects were apprehended by the Marine Squad of the command at the Tombia-Iwofe axis along the waterways. Preliminary reports indicate they were caught with three boats laden with an unspecified quantity of AGO.

“Our ongoing fight against crude oil theft is driven by our commitment to combat illegal bunkering activities in coastal areas, thereby increasing national oil production,” Okafor said. “Safeguarding critical assets and infrastructure is our core mandate, and my administration will restore order in the state. We are against all acts of environmental degradation and pollution that lead to health hazards. We are determined to restore the glory of our economy, and it will not be business as usual for those stealing the nation’s crude oil.”