3 PERSONS NABBED FOR CONVEYING ADULTERATED FUEL AND CRUDE OIL TO ENUGU
Three persons have been apprehended for conveying forty five thousand liters of adulterated fuel and crude oil to Enugu.
The Driver of the tanker used in conveying the products, one Chinedu Ekpogu, who claimed to be thirty four years of age said that the crude was loaded to his vehicle at Owerri in Imo State as the one that originally conveyed the product from Port Harcourt broke down.
The suspect said he was arrested with his two conductors at Ugwu Onyeama axis of the Enugu-Onitsha expressway while conveying the products for a Petroleum dealer in Enugu.
Speaking on the development, the Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Enugu Depot, Mr. Osita Tagbo Nnamani confirmed that the arrest was made by its monitoring unit, Anti Pipeline vandalism, Petroleum products Adulteration Monitoring Unit.
Mr. Nnamani stated that it was unlawful for individuals to transport crude oil without authorization from the Federal Government, saying that the act amounted to economic sabotage.
He said that IPMAN, Enugu Depot was committed to stopping the actions of the syndicate that specialized in adulterating petrol, diesel and other petroleum products, causing avoidable deaths, disasters, and losses to people especially motorists.
The IPMAN Chairman however maintained that the suspects would be handed over to law enforcement agents for prosecution to serve as deterrent to others who engage in oil pipeline vandalism and other forms of economic sabotage.
OBINNA OGBUKA