Metro

Army Uncovers 3m Litres Of Stolen Oil In Rivers

Published

2 years ago

January 18, 2024

The 6 Division, Nigeria Army, Port Harcourt, has uncovered 14 crude oil reservoirs containing about three million litres of stolen crude in Odagwa Etche in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Also, the Army said the reservoir has 49 boilers used in refining stolen crude in the area, which is then moved out through various channels.

The General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Nigeria Army, Port Harcourt, Maj-Gen. Jamal Abdussalam, while conducting newsmen around the reservoirs located in the thick forest of Odagwa Etche on Thursday, said his decision to bring the journalists to the scene was for them to see things for themselves so that Nigerians will know what is happening.

Abdusalam disclosed that through credible intelligence, officers of the division were able to discover about 14 reservoirs that contained upward of about 200,000 litres of crude oil inside the forest.

Abdusalam said the suspects constructed various tanks and used hoses and cables to connect crude oil from abandoned wellheads located within the area.

He said, “You can see that this place is in a deep forest. Even if you are using helicopters and military drones, you will not be able to see what we actually saw here on the ground. We have discovered based on credible intelligence which led us to this location.

“We have discovered many illegal activities. As you can see, we have seen reservoirs that can contain upwards of 200, 0000 litres of crude oil.

‘We have discovered about 14 of them in this bush. We have also discovered boilers capable of processing crude oil about 49 of them all located inside this bush and we have seen the network of hoses and cables connected around the whole area.”

He added, “The crude oil we have discovered in this place is in excess of the daily crude oil export of Nigeria. This is very pathetic and very sad to note.

“Here, we discovered 14 reservoirs and each reservoir stored a minimum of 200,000 litres of crude oil. So simple math will give you in excess of three million litres of crude oil that is stored. We are not talking of the ones that have been processed and taken out; these are the ones that we have discovered.

“This place is called Odagwa in Rivers State and inside this place we have well heads, many of them we don’t know the exact number of well heads around here.”

The GOC added that “most of them are not in use, but you can see that it’s from these well heads that these people put their pipes to siphon this oil. Few arrests have been made however, those that we have arrested are not the major players in this business, they are just carriers of the stolen oil.”

He said the discovery was part of the Army’s efforts to ensure that the government gets what is due to it.

“The budget has been sent by Mr President to the National Assembly and the National Assembly has passed it into law and the executive has also signed it and it has become law.

“That budget was planned based on some parameters. One of the parameters is the crude oil production we churn out every day. So any drop in crude oil production affects everybody in this country.

“Our people are not aware of that and that is why they are involved in this type of business,” he explained.

Related Topics:illegal refineries refineries Refinery

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Metro

Edo Final-year Student Dies In Sign-out Motorcade Crash

Published

2 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

A yet-to-be-identified final-year student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, has lost his life in a road crash after he and some other students embarked on a motorcade parade to celebrate the completion of their final examinations.

It was learnt on Tuesday from a Facebook user, Inside Edo, that the accident occurred on Monday shortly after the students finished their final examination.

Inside Edo disclosed that the vehicle had attempted to overtake another before losing control and ramming into a truck.

The post read, “A tragic accident has occurred at Ujoelen, close to the primary school, resulting in the death of a newly graduated student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

“According to eyewitnesses, the crash happened during an attempted overtaking by one of the vehicles involved.

“The risky manoeuvre reportedly led to a loss of control, causing the fatal incident. Residents who were nearby rushed to the scene, but the victim could not be saved.”

Similarly, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that the students were said to have been driving recklessly before crashing into a stationary truck.

The deceased was said to be part of a convoy made up of fresh graduates of the university.

NAN reported, “He was reportedly part of a convoy of fresh graduates who took to the highway on Monday shortly after their signing-out activities.

“Witnesses said the group drove recklessly and failed to observe basic safety rules during the celebrations.

“The tragedy occurred when the deceased attempted to overtake a moving truck but collided with a stationary vehicle parked along the road.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Cyril Mathew, proved abortive, as the official number available on the FRSC directory was not reachable at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, NAN reported that Mathew later confirmed the incident, adding that one person died while five others were injured in the crash.

“The students, after writing their last paper, took to the road in a convoy.

“In the process, one of them overtook another vehicle and rammed into a stationary truck,” NAN quoted Mathew as saying.

Metro

One Dies In Oyo Fire, Two Rescued

Published

2 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

One person lost her life in a fire incident at Agbaakin Street, behind Testing Ground, Iwo Road, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Monday.

This was contained in a statement by the Chairman of the State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, in Ibadan, on Tuesday.

He said the fire resulted from a lighted charcoal cooking pot left unattended, which ignited nearby combustible materials.

Akinwande added that the firefighting operation was successfully carried out with the support of officers of the Federal Fire Service.

“The fire emergency was received at exactly 20:18 hours on Monday, December 8, 2025.

“On getting there, it was two rooms on the upper floor of a private residential building of 12 rooms engulfed by fire.

“One person (female) was recovered, while two persons (males) were rescued alive. The fire also affected only two rooms, and the whole building and other properties worth millions of naira were saved by the officers of the agency.

“The fire incident was a result of a lighted charcoal cooking pot left unattended, which ignited nearby combustible materials. The operation was jointly carried out with the Federal Fire Service, Ibadan Command,” he explained.

In a related development, a fire incident on Tuesday engulfed the Agric Business Development Agency at Total Garden in Ibadan.

A statement by the State Fire Service Chairman, Akinwande, said the agency received a telephone call through Mr Akinyinka reporting that fire had ravaged the place.

“The incident was reported at exactly 09:20hrs on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, through a telephone call by Mr Akinyinka (the General Manager, Oyo State Fire Services Agency) to the office, reporting a fire at the above-stated address.

“The officers, led by ACFS Oyeniyi Taofeek, swiftly mobilised and deployed to the scene. Upon arrival, it was discovered that electrical sparks from a solar inverter control board on the upper floor of the building resulted in the fire.

“The swift response and professional intervention of our officers prevented the situation from escalating into a fire disaster. The use of portable fire extinguishers was employed during the firefighting operation.

“No casualty was recorded, and properties worth millions of naira were saved by the fire service. The fire incident was a result of electrical sparks from the inverter system,” the statement read.

The chairman, therefore, advised the public to always use correct cables and other electrical materials for their installations.

Metro

Three Die, Several Injured In Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Crash

Published

3 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

A fatal crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday claimed three lives and left several others seriously injured, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has said.

LASTMA, in a statement posted on its official X handle on Wednesday, said the accident occurred near the Secretariat, heading towards the Otedola Bridge.

According to the agency, three vehicles were involved in the collision.

“Three vehicles were involved in the collision, resulting in three fatalities and several serious injuries.

“LASAMBUS [Lagos State Ambulance Service] personnel are on the scene, providing medical attention to the injured victims,” it stated.

Emergency responders from LASAMBUS were on the scene administering medical care to the injured victims, while LASTMA officers and personnel of the Nigerian Police Force were also present, managing traffic and maintaining order.

Efforts, according to LASTMA, are underway to clear the crash site and restore normal traffic flow.

Motorists were advised to exercise caution when approaching the area.