The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) announced the apprehension of 571 suspected vandals and the dismantling of 71 illegal refineries across the nation within the last 12 months. Ahmed Audi, the NSCDC’s Commandant General, revealed these figures during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Among the detained vandals, 512 are undergoing prosecution, while 121 have already been convicted and are serving various prison sentences in different correctional facilities nationwide. Audi emphasized that these outcomes showcase the NSCDC’s dedication to safeguarding pipelines from criminal activities.
However, Audi expressed concern over the escalating presence of illegal refineries, both new and re-established ones, posing a significant challenge to the Federal Government’s efforts.
“What is disturbing is the issue of illegal refineries; you destroy one today, tomorrow you will see another one. In fact, the one you destroyed reincarnates in about a week.
“However, the Corps has put in place both kinetic and non-kinetic measures to provide safety and security for our oil installations and other critical infrastructure in Nigeria.
“So far, we have seen that what we have adopted is working, so next year we will try to work seriously on the non-kinetic approach of cautioning Nigerians, engaging in advocacy, and having discussions with communities, youth, and traditional rulers, amongst others.
“We have realised that oil theft is a syndicated crime. So, we will attack the root cause; we have written advice to state governments on how to adopt some form of non-kinetic approach to provide solutions to this menace,” Audi said.
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