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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JUST IN: Court Grants Malami, Wife, Son N500m Bail Each

Published

6 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Editor

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has admitted former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, to bail in the sum of N500 million and two sureties in like sum pending his trial.

Malami, his son, Abdulaziz Malami, and his wife, Hajia Asabe Bashir, who is an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged money laundering to the tune of N8.7 billion.

Ruling on the bail application filed by Malami and his codefendants on Wednesday, Justice Nwite also ordered that the two sureties must have landed properties in Maitama, Asokoro, or Gwarimpa districts of Abuja.

He ruled that the documents of the properties belonging to the sureties are to be verified by the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Court, while the sureties are also to depose to an affidavit of means.

Malami is to deposit his travelling documents with the Court and must not travel out of the country without the express permission of the court.

Besides, the former AGF and his sureties were also ordered to deposit their two recent passport photograph with the court.

Meanwhile, Malami has been ordered to be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja pending the perfection of the bail conditions.

After delivering ruling on the bail application, the trial judge, Justice Nwite, fixed February 17, 2026, for the commencement of the trial in the matter.

The same bail conditions were extended to Malami’s son, Abdulaziz Malami, and his wife, Hajia Asabe Bashir, who is an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited.

The EFCC had slammed a 16-count charge against Malami, his son, and his wife.

In count one of the charge, the anti-graft agency alleged that, “You Abubakar Malami, SAN, and Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, between July 2022 and June 2025, in Abuja, procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of the sum of N1,014,848,500.00 in a Sterling Bank Plc account, when they reasonably ought to have known that the sum constituted proceeds of unlawful activities, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 21(c) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act”.

Count five reads: “That you Abubakar Malami, SAN, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, sometime in September 2024, in Abuja, conspired to disguise the unlawful origin of the aggregate sum of N1,049,173,926.13 paid through the Union Bank Plc account of Meethaq Hotels Limited, Jabi, between November 2022 and September 2024, contrary to Section 21 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Sections 18(2)(a) and 18(3) of the same Act”.

Count six reads: “That you Abubakar Malami, SAN, and Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, between November 2022 and October 2025, indirectly took control of the aggregate sum of N1,362,887,872.96 paid through the Union Bank Plc savings account of Meethaq Hotels Limited, when they reasonably ought to have known that the funds constituted proceeds of unlawful activities, contrary to Section 18(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022”.

Metro

18-year-old OAU Medical Student Dies While Sleeping

Published

23 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Editor

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, has announced the death of an 18-year-old part-three medical student of the institution.

The student, identified as Timilehin Adetoye Toromade, was a student of the College of Health Sciences, Department of Medicine and Surgery.

According to a statement by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, Timilehin with matriculation number CLI/2022/133, reportedly died in his sleep in the early hours of Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

The statement revealed that the “university received the news of the student’s passing with shock and deep sorrow”.

It also described the incident as devastating to the academic community.

According to the statement, “preliminary information suggested that the student might have died shortly after 2 a.m., as one of his roommates reportedly said the deceased opened the door for another student around that time.

“The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, expressed condolences on behalf of the Visitor, the University Council, Management, Senate, staff and students”.

The VC, Professor Bamire, described the incident as a painful loss, saying, “The loss of a young life filled with promise, purpose, and potential is a tragedy that words alone cannot adequately capture.”

He added that the university community was united in grief over the passing of a student who had embraced the rigours of medical training with the aim of serving humanity.

According to him, the death had left a void among the student’s peers and all those who knew him within the university community.

The university management stated that it was working closely with relevant authorities to fully understand the circumstances surrounding the incident, in line with established medical and administrative procedures.

It also disclosed that appropriate support measures were being put in place to assist students and members of the university community who may have been emotionally affected by the loss.

The management called on students, staff, alumni and friends of the institution to remain calm and compassionate, while extending sympathy to the family of the deceased.

Metro

Panic As BRT Bus Catches Fire On Third Mainland Bridge

Published

23 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Editor

Panic gripped motorists on Tuesday afternoon following a fire outbreak involving a Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, vehicle on the Third Mainland Bridge, leading to massive traffic disruption.

The incident occurred around 1:00 p.m. near the Adekunle section of the bridge, heading towards Iyana Oworo.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, confirmed the development in a statement posted on its official X handle.

According to the agency, the high-capacity BRT bus suddenly went up in flames, prompting anxiety among road users in the area.

Footage shared online showed the bus completely consumed by fire, with thick plumes of smoke rising into the sky as motorists slowed down or sought alternative routes to avoid the scene.

While no injuries or loss of life were reported, the incident caused a heavy traffic buildup extending from Adekunle towards Iyana Oworo.

“A high-capacity bus is currently on fire on the Third Mainland Bridge by Adekunle, inward Iyana Oworo, and this is impacting traffic flow,” LASTMA stated.

“Our personnel are on ground managing traffic, while efforts are ongoing to extinguish the fire,” the agency added.

Subsequent updates indicated that officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at the scene and worked to control the blaze to prevent further damage.

Traffic officers were also deployed to redirect vehicles away from the affected area as emergency responders tackled the situation.

As of the time this report was filed, the cause of the fire had yet to be determined.