The operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Cross River State, have neutralised an attempt to vandalise a pipeline of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited at a tank farm in Calabar.
Samuel Fadeyi, the Commandant of the NSCDC in Cross River State, paraded the suspect, identified as Gabriel Ajom, on Monday, in the state capital, during which he said the suspect was arrested on August 26, 2022.
The suspect is a security guard attached to a moribund tank farm, Mettle Energy and Gas, where the pipeline was connected to. Items recovered from the site of the incident included a shovel, connecting pipes, buckets and knives.
Fadeyi explained that the suspect was arrested by his men who were on surveillance patrol along with the maintenance unit of Later Jay company, a private company that monitors pipelines in the state.
He said, during the surveillance, they noticed a small collapse hole around the area, suggesting that there was a pit in between.
“The NSCDC officials dug the hole and they discovered that it was a tunnel, leading from the moribund tank farm, Mettle Energy and Gas, into the pipeline.
“Further investigation showed that they had some equipment which they were going to use to connect to the pipeline, breach it and then syphon petroleum product.
“That message was passed unto my men and you can see the result. I can assure you that the perpetrators of this act won’t be spared,” he said.
The suspect, Ajom, confessed to the crime, saying, “Two men came into my office and said they wanted to help me make some money. They asked me to allow them to dig the pipeline and I did.
“They asked me not to panic that I was going to make a huge amount of money. They gave me N500 on the first day they came.
“They went and brought people from Port Harcourt, who dug this tunnel day and night. They promised that when they want to lay the pipes, they will give me a huge amount of money.”