The Ebonyi Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested six persons, while allegedly conveying 90,000 litres of adulterated petroleum products.
The State Commandant of the corps, Terrumun Gbue, told newsmen in Abakiliki on Wednesday that the suspects were arrested on the Abakaliki-Enugu federal highway in the night of Feb. 7.
Gbue said that the products were concealed in two articulated vehicles.
According to him, the suspects could not explain the source of the products, when they were interogated by operatives of the corps.
“We discovered that the waybills attached to the products were fake with one of the articulated vehicles, having two way-bills.
“All the waybills bore dates in 2021” he said, adding that samples of the products had been taken to the laboratory in Enugu for necessary tests.
“Investigations are ongoing to get to the root of the matter,” the state NSCDC boss said.
He also said that the command on Feb. 5 arrested one Chinemerem Abania, at the state hatchery complex, Abakaliki, for allegedly vandalising electrical installations.
“Vandals have been destroying installations at the facility and attacking our personnel guarding the place.
“One of our personnel is currently hospitalised as a result of such attack but this suspect was unlucky,” he said.
Gbue listed the items recovered from him to include batteries, cables and glass-panels, amongst others.
He said that the command was making serious efforts to arrest the other vandals, who were still at large.
He said that the command also arrested one Mrs Jane Chukwua, who was accused of buying the vandalised installations.
He said that both suspects were assisting the command in its investigations.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abania said that he was not a vandal “but scavenger, toiling to earn a living”.
“I was scavenging within the hatchery vicinity, when the NSCDC operatives accosted me and out of fear, I ran away but was later arrested,” he said.
The female suspect also told NAN that she trades on scrabs and had never been connected with purchasing stolen items.