NSCDC destroys 1,360 illegal refineries in Bayelsa

 

The Bayelsa State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps said it has destroyed 1,360 illegal refineries from January till date in several raids across the state.
Desmond Agu, the Commandant of the NSCDC in the state, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Yenagoa.

Agu also disclosed that the Command arrested and charged perpetrators of the economic sabotage to courts.
According to him, the Command secured eight convictions with the convicts sentenced to between three and four years in prison.
He added that 18 pending cases were at various stages of prosecution and they were progressing smoothly.

Agu restated the command’s commitment to diligent prosecution of oil theft suspects in the Niger Delta region.
He stressed that successive prosecution of suspects would serve as deterrent to others who might want to engage in oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
Agu noted that the new Administration of Criminal Justice Act, which allows electronic generated evidence during prosecution, will enhance prompt conclusion of cases of oil theft and pipeline vandalism
He said the NSCDC operatives had been directed to record evidences using electronic devices, particularly during destruction of illegal refineries.