Police arrest 18 ‘illegal refinery operators’ in Rivers — after Wike’s directive

Friday Eboka, Rivers commissioner of police, says its operatives have arrested 18 persons involved in illegal oil refining activities in different parts of the state.

Eboka said this while parading the suspects in Port Harcourt on Monday.

TheCable had reported that Nyesom Wike, Rivers governor, had directed that suspected illegal refinery operators and a director of energy be arrested over soot pollution in the state.

Eboka said the arrests followed the directive by the governor. 

“Besides the economic sabotage aspect of it, it is obvious that the soot is having health effects on the people of Rivers state,” he said. 

“Based on that, we set up a task force to go after these bunkerers and on the 8th of this month at Marine Base we arrested 10 suspects, who were escorting two tanker loads of illegally-refined petroleum products.

“They were arrested while moving two tankers, each containing 45 litres of illegally-refined petroleum products.”

The police commissioner identified the suspects as Aliyi Abdulahi, Abdulrahim Usman, Iskaku Adamu, Basiru Abubakar, Abubakar Usman, Mohammed Mohammed, Yahaya Japhat, Salisu Usman, M. Abubarka and Buhari Buhari.

He said on January 9, “our men also arrested two suspects at Elele town. The two suspects, Godwin Ezekiel and Ifeanyi Asumuga, were arrested with two trucks of petroleum trucks and a Sports Utility Vehicle also loaded with petroleum products, on their way to Imo state.

“The same 8th of this month, we had information that at Ugbuatafa in Rumuji, six persons were trying to start the illegal refining business when our men stormed the place and arrested five of them. In the course of investigation, it was discovered that one Daniel Milito, who is the sponsor, was also arrested”.

Eboka identified the five suspects as Isaac Onuzoru, Alfred Okagbue, Keneddy Ezenwo, Christopher Agala and Sunday Onozuru.