Police arrest 2 officers over alleged illegal deal in refined diesel in Bayelsa

The Nigeria Police Force said it had arrested two serving officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC) for allegedly dealing in suspected illegally refined diesel in Otuasegha area of Yenagoa, Bayelsa.

The suspects are: Assistant Superintendents II Agah Ovie and Angel Kilosomewo.

Presenting the suspects to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, the Force spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood, said the suspects were arrested by the Inspector-General of Police (I-G’s) Special Task Force on March 7.

Moshood said that the suspects were arrested with a patrol van belonging to the corps loaded with the product.

He said 350 litres of suspected illegally refined diesel in 15 bags were also recovered from the suspects.

He said that the suspects confessed to be personnel of the corps attached to critical infrastructure department, Bayelsa Command.

The Force Spokesman said that their office had been informed and that the police investigating team was awaiting their response to conclude investigation into the case and arraign them in court.

In a related development, Moshood said that the police had also recovered nine trucks loaded with 33,000 litres of suspected adulterated diesel between March 7 and March 20 in Ogun, Delta and Nasarawa.

He said that the drivers of the trailers escaped into the bush on sighting the special Task Force Team.

“The laboratory analysis carried out by the PPMC revealed that the products are off specification,”he said.

He said that investigation was being intensified to arrest the suspects and their sponsors in order to bring them to justice.

The police spokesman said that the I-G had taken decisive steps to tackle cases of pipeline vandalism by empowering the police task force on illegal bunkering in the country.

He assured of the renewed commitment of the Force to continue to work assiduously to protect the nation’s oil and gas investments and critical infrastructure.

Moshood said the police had also arrested two suspects in connection with violence during the Rivers re-run state assembly election on Feb. 25, 2017.

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The suspects are: Briggs Dinabo and Harry Omeba.

He said that investigation was being intensified to arrest other suspects, Samuel Nwanosilla, Odiane Princewill and Roland Sekibo who were at large.

Moshood said that items recovered from them include: two AK 47; three magazines; 24 rounds of live ammunition; two expended ammunition shell; 50 PDP tags and one Acura Jeep.

He explained that the items were concealed inside the Acura Jeep.

One of the suspects, Dinabo, told newsmen that he was working for Roland Sekibo who is also on the wanted list of the police.