The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad has uncovered another illegal oil refining site at a forest in Odagwa Community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The bunkering site had 10 illegal refineries with an estimated 500,000 litres of crude oil contained in about 50 illegally constructed reservoirs, while five suspects engaging in the illicit act were arrested.

The spokesman for the NSCDC, Rivers State Command, Olufemi Ayodele, disclosed this while parading the suspects and conducted newsmen around the site on Monday.

Ayodele said the discovery was based on credible intelligence.

He said, “The Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Audi, has reiterated over time that all acts of economic sabotage would be fought to a standstill as suspects arrested would face the full wrath of the law, irrespective of their sponsors.

“In furtherance, the CG gave a marching order to the Special Intelligence Squad, charging them to be more thorough and results-oriented in their operations

“Based on credible intelligence, the CG’s SIS swung into action and uncovered 10 illegal local refineries in a forest located at Odagwa Community in Etche LGA of Rivers State where five suspects were caught in the act of illegally refining of crude oil.

“While conducting an operational tour across the large thick forest, about 10 different cooking pots of 50,000 litres capacity were seen with one big pumping machine, receiver tanks, 25 rubber hoses used for pumping crude oil and many long galvanised pipes with unquantified litres of crude oil and illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) stored in six large reservoirs and other 20 smaller reservoirs drugged in the ground.”

The suspects include Favour Chukwu, 29; Desmond Umeh. 25; Godwin Amos, 22; Bineace Galion, 38; and Goodnews David, 23.