Nigeria Police has arrested ten suspected crew members of two vessels, Ellen and MB Opuda, with eighteen trucks load of diesel suspected to be illegally refined.

The suspects are: Tumbiri Ezekiel, Thomas Azamosa, Godwill Offeh, Alfred Iwanefun and Emmanuel Uyoi.

Others included, Godwin Tabiti, Omokete Enengite, Victor Onyenike, Suleiman Ahmadu and William Okitikpo.

Force Public Relations Officer, Don Awunah, said this while presenting the suspects to newsmen in Abuja, saying the suspects were trailed and arrested on Nov. 3 at Satomen’s Jetty at Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos state, following a sustained surveillance by the Task Force on Petroleum and Illegal bunkering.

Awunah, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, said the suspects had discharged the product into 18 trucks when they were promptly arrested and taken into custody by the police.

In a related development, Awunah said five suspected pipeline vandals were also arrested at an illegal refinery with two trucks loaded with 20,000 litres of diesel each at Adogu village of Ajaokuta, Kogi.

The suspects are: Harrison Chinedu, Mohammed Abdulkadir, Idris Bawa, Emmanuel Akighir, and Sulieman Musa.

Awunah said the suspects were arrested by the Task Force on Petroleum and illegal bunkering after a tip off, saying the suspects had confessed to committing the crime, saying investigation into the case was being intensified to arrest other members of the group who were at large.

He said the suspects would be promptly arraigned in court on completion of thorough investigation.

The police also arrested three suspects in Abia and Kaduna states with one truck loaded with 33,000 litres of cooked diesel.

The suspects are, Amechi Aduma,47, owner of the product, Ezechi Peter, 17, and Mamud Ibrahim, 30, who was arrested in Kaduna near NNPC depot with a truck loaded with 25,000 litres of diesel.

Awunah said the constant destruction of oil and gas infrastructure was a source of concern to the police, saying to halt the trend, the Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris, had reorganised and empowered the anti-pipline vandalism unit of the force, saying

Awunah said the I-G was committed to a safe and secure Nigeria, saying he commended the governors and government of Imo, Kaduna, Bayelsa and Delta states for their support to the Nigeria Police.