Hunger pushed me into pipeline vandalism – Suspect
Tortured by hunger and poverty, 24-year-old Julius Eze claimed he had no choice than to turn to pipeline vandalism to survive.Eze developed a penchant for drilling holes in pipelines of multinational oil companies until he was caught recently while cutting into one belonging to Shell Petroleum Development Company in Bayelsa State.
His accomplices were said to have escaped on sighting operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, closing in on them.
Eze, an indigene of Ahoada, Rivers State, was among the seven suspects paraded by the NSCDC, Bayelsa State Command, for different oil-related crimes.
Confessing to the crime, the suspected vandal said he was introduced into the illicit business by his friend, one Chigozie, a surveillance contractor with Shell.
“I used to be a commercial motorcycle operator until I had an accident. After the accident, I vowed to stop riding motorcycle.
“As I stopped the okada business, it became difficult for me to fend for myself. Poverty took its toll on me. I was in that state when Chigozie came to console me and promised to help me with surveillance job with Shell since he was a surveillance contactor himself.
“When I met him over the promised surveillance job, he asked me and a lady, Precious, to cut into pipelines for him. He said since he was a contractor, the more pipelines we damage, the more contracts he would get from the oil firm to carry out repairs on them, and he would in turn reward us with surveillance jobs.
“Surprisingly, after Precious and I did what he asked us to do, Shell gave him the contract. However, Chigozie reneged on his promise.”
The suspect said the development angered Precious, who decided to continue the illicit business of cutting into pipelines to scoop fuel for sale.
Julius further confessed, “Precious called me to assist her and I went to meet her at the facility we were to vandalise. We started cutting Shell pipelines but did not know NSCDC operatives had closed in on us. They later arrested me but Precious managed to escape.
“It is the work of the devil. I cut the pipelines because I was hungry and did not get help from anywhere. I implore the government to help me out of this mess. I will not do this kind of business again if I am released.”
Another suspect, Festus Duabor, said he engaged in conveying stolen petroleum products because of his ailing mother.
The boat driver said his mother was seriously ill and that the had no financial means to take her to the hospital.
He said, “I am just a transporter. One Juliet asked me to convey her illegal products in my boat to Yenagoa.
“I must confess, I know the products were illegal, but I carried them to enable me to raise some money to take my sick mother to the hospital. When I was told that my mother was sick, I became worried because I did not have a dime to take her to the hospital. That was why I did it.”
An operative, who supervised the operations leading to Festus’ arrest, said he was arrested at Funibiri community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The operative, who did not want his name mentioned because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, said the suspect told them that the products belonged to one Juliet.
The officer said, “Right now, we are still carrying out investigations to get the address and details of the owner of the products he mentioned.”
Also, another suspect, a 60-year-old mother of 15 children, was also paraded by the Civil Defence authorities.
The suspect, identified as Victoria Sorkibulor, popularly called Mama Militant, was arrested at Fish Town, Brass Local Government Area of the state by a special team of the corps.
She was paraded at the command of the NSCDC in Yenagoa alongside two of her workers and four other suspects apprehended by the command for pipeline vandalism.
Sorkibulor was said to be notorious for pipeline vandalism and illegal refining of petroleum products.
Her workers were said to have led the security operatives to her hideout at Fish Town where she was rounded up and brought to Yenagoa
Sorkibulor when interrogated by our correspondent, said she used to refine petroleum products at Obi area of the state.
However, she said she had stopped the illicit business about three months ago after doing it for more than a year.
Sorkibulor, who is an indigene of Fotogbene community in Ekeremor, Bayelsa, said, “I used to cook oil at Obi before but because the business was having some problems, I stopped doing it.
“I went into the business to enable me to make money to take care of my 15 children.”
When probed further on how she found herself in NSCDC’s net, she stuttered, “The operatives went to where I used to do the business before and saw some equipment we were using to cook petroleum products.
“As I said earlier, I have stopped doing the business. The equipment they confiscated from my cooking site are no more in use.”
However, when our correspondent sighted the equipment including pumping machines, it was discovered that they were still very new.
Parading the suspects, the state Commandant, NSCDC, Mr. Desmond Agu, said the suspects were arrested for unlawful possession of adulterated and illegally refined petroleum products.
He said 20 drums of illegally refined kerosene and Automated Gas Oil were confiscated from the suspects.
He said Sorkibulor was arrested shortly after her workers were rounded up while evacuating their illegally refined product in a large wooden boat.
He said while the boat was burnt at the point of arrest, the products were recovered for further investigations and prosecution.
The Commandant said all the suspects were arrested last Sunday at different locations in Southern Ijaw area of the state.
Agu said six Yamaha machines, three pumping machines, seven hoses and a locally-made boat were recovered from the suspects.
He vowed to prosecute the suspects, stressing that the NSCDC was determined to stop oil theft and other related crimes in the state.
Agu said, “We are warning members of the public to desist from such inimical act. People should think of a better and lawful ways of earning a living.
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