Metro

Navy Arrests 14 Suspects, Uncovers Illegal Refinery In Rivers

Published

2 years ago

April 4, 2024

The Nigerian Navy said its men have arrested 14 persons for their alleged involvement in illegal oil bunkering in the Elem Krakama community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Also, the Navy said an illegal oil refining site with a capacity to produce over 9.6 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil popularity called diesel per day was uncovered.

The Navy added that in an operation led by the Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship, Pathfinder, Commodore Desmond Igbo, on Thursday, three wooden boats with a storage capacity of 70 metric tons was seized.

Igbo told journalists that the suspects were siphoning crude from a tapped oil wellhead from the Oil Mining Lease (OML-18) operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in the area.

He said the wellhead was badly compromised by the suspected oil thieves.

Igbo, who expressed shock at the wide-scale economic sabotage going on in the location, noted that the site has 16 cooking pots with the capacity to contain 6,000 litres of diesel each while maintaining that the Navy will not relent in ensuring that illegal oil refining activities become a thing of the past.

He stated, “This is Elem Krakama in Degema LGA of Rivers State. We have come here to ensure that this oil stealing will not continue.

“We have about 16 cooking pots and some of them contain about 6,00 litres. It is very huge, as you can see where they are tapping it from right from the oil wellhead.

“It comes out the way water comes from the tap. We have made arrests, we arrested about 14 of them in the act of stealing the crude and also illegally refining this crude.

“Behind me is oil well head 15 belonging to OML 18, of NNPCL. You can see a very big 14-inch hose connected illegally to this oil well head 15.

“They are transferring it to this big wooden boat also known as the Cotonou boat.

“The boats contain 70 metric tons of crude oil, the crude is still there they will connect it to the reservoirs through the 4-inch hose from there they will start cooking it.”

Continuing, the NHS Pathfinder boss said, “We have four of these wooden boats in this camp. The cooking pots also contain about 1.5 million AGO. This is not good for our country not good for the economy.”

Related Topics:illegal refineries Rivers

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Metro

16 Passengers Lose Lives In Lokoja–Okene Highway Tragedy

Published

7 hours ago

May 8, 2026

Editor

At least 16 persons have been confirmed dead following a fatal road accident along the Lokoja–Okene highway in Kogi State.

In a post shared on X by security analyst Zagazola Makama, he said the tragic incident occurred at about 9:20 a.m. on Friday near Aku village around the Osara axis of the busy highway.

Security and traffic safety sources told Zagazola Makama that the accident involved a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BUU 17 ZD carrying 22 passengers from Jos, Plateau State, to Lagos.

“Security and traffic safety sources said the accident involved a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BUU 17 ZD, conveying 22 passengers comprising 21 males and one female from Jos, Plateau State, en route to Lagos,” Makama said.

According to the sources, the vehicle reportedly lost control while moving at high speed, veered off the road and plunged under a bridge, leading to multiple casualties.

Preliminary findings attributed the accident to driver fatigue.

The sources disclosed that 16 occupants of the vehicle, including 15 men and one woman, lost their lives in the crash, while six other passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Emergency responders were said to have arrived at the scene after receiving a distress call and immediately evacuated the injured victims to medical facilities in Osara and the Specialist Hospital in Lokoja for treatment.

The remains of the deceased victims were deposited at the Ankuri Mortuary in Lokoja.

Authorities, meanwhile, advised motorists to obey speed limits, ensure adequate rest during long-distance trips and strictly comply with road safety regulations to avoid preventable accidents and loss of life.

Metro

Ex-convict Arrested In Edo For Armed Robbery, Possession Of Firearm

Published

3 days ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) has arrested a 45-year-old ex-convict, Owen Osas, for alleged unlawful possession of firearms and suspected involvement in a robbery incident.

Osas was reportedly arrested with a cut-to-size single-barrel gun during a covert operation along Fishpond Road in Eyean, Uhunmwonde Local Government Area.

The arrest reportedly comes barely a year after he was released from prison, where he had served time for illegal possession of firearms and other criminal offences.

Osas, who confessed to the latest crime, also admitted to being a member of the Eiye Confraternity.

READ ALSO:Tragedy As Suspected Kidnappers Kill Young Entrepreneur In Edo
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Consequently, a victim of an alleged robbery incident, Reginia Izy, identified Osas as the person who robbed her a day before his arrest.
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The victim narrated that the suspect had approached her residence around 8 p.m., pretending to be familiar before carrying out the attack.
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‎The Deputy Commander Operations of ESSC, Richard Balogun, said the arrest was part of intensified efforts to rid Edo State of criminal elements.

READ ALSO:Edo South Senatorial Seat: Nothing Wrong Seeking Wike’s Support – Ogbeide-Ihama
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‎Balogun explained that operatives conduct both overt patrols and covert operations to track and apprehend suspects.
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He said, ‎“Our men are always on patrol. Some operate in plain clothes as part of covert strategies, while others are stationed at strategic locations.

“Osas, who is a former convict, was arrested with firearms and he also confessed to be a member of the Eiye Confraternity.”
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Metro

Gunmen Kidnap Businessman In Ibadan

Published

5 days ago

May 4, 2026

Editor

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 60-year-old man in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The victim was kidnapped on Saturday while on his way to his residence.

The incident occurred at Jinarere, Alakia in Ibadan.

Public Relations Officer of the State Police command, Olayinka Ayanlade, when contacted, confirmed the incident.

Ayanlade in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday, explained that efforts are ongoing to rescue the victim.

Ayanlade said, “Preliminary information reveals that the victim, a 60-year-old male and building materials trader, was accosted while returning home along the Jinarere axis of Alakia Road by four masked armed men, who forcefully whisked him away in an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla vehicle”.