Fleeing bunkerers abandon 1.65m litres of crude oil, 7 speed boats

BY DAYO JOHNSON

Akure— ABOUT 1.65 million litres of crude oil has been intercepted by a Seaway Security outfit in the riverine communities of Ondo State from oil bunkerers.

The bunkerers who fled following the interception by the security outfit abandoned five barges, seven speed boats, 14 engines of speed boats and other instruments used for their illegal business.

Spokesman of the Gallery Security Service Limited, Ebi Bolos told newsmen at Agadagba in Ese Odo Council Area that the speed boats were reportedly stolen by the fleeing economic saboteurs.

Bolos said that the barges and the speed boats were intercepted at the boundaries of Delta and Edo states while the smugglers were about ferrying the crude oil to the oil communities of the state to sell to unsuspecting oil dealers.

He added that “seven big boats arrested are filled with crude oil. We have seven speed boats too which we impounded. We have 14 stolen engines. We arrested them at the boundaries of Delta and Edo.

“They were bringing them from neighbouring states. From there we apprehend them because we won’t allow them to come to Ondo. We will hand them to the security agencies. Each of the big boats can contain at least 10 tankers with 33, 000 litre capacity each.

“If the government can support us we will do more. Financially we are not getting the necessary support from government. If this continues the criminal activities will stop and the country will earn more from crude because the activities of the vandals will stop.

Bolos said with the help of a “former Militant Chief Bibopiri Ajube and our men, we were able to recover stolen engines from them which they used for bunkering business, to vandalise the pipes, collect the crude and take it to wherever they want to sell it.