Authorities of the Western Command of the Nigerian Navy have recorded a major victory in the fight against smuggling of petroleum products following the smashing of a syndicate, which allegedly specialised in the siphoning of fuel from the Atlas Cove Jetty, Apapa.
Valued at N200million a week, the fuel smuggling business was said to have been carried out through the breaking and vandalization of pipelines that distribute imported fuel as well as refined fuel from Warri and Port Harcourt.
According to military sources, the smuggling ring which membership included the high and the mighty in the society such as traditional rulers, top government functionaries, leaders of thought and security operatives, had perfected the act of pulling all the strings to nip in the bud attempts to get its members arrested whenever they were caught.
Explaining how the syndicate carried out its business before the bubble burst, a source said: “The field operators were always heavily armed to the teeth with all sorts of sophisticated weaponry and equipment with which they navigate their ways in the night after each successful operation,”” the source said.
The source continued: “Very large wooden canoes like the ones mostly found in the Niger Delta region and constructed by the Illajes of Ondo State are used for the business because of the width, depth and length.
“The fuel is usually siphoned from about four different taps that have been inserted into the distribution and receiving pipelines of the Atlas Cove, in some cases from under water. “Between the unholy hours of 1.30am and 4am, the smugglers will go to work. Sometimes they use the very big GP tanks usually found in most households.
A canoe can take up to 10 GP tanks with 10,000 litres capacity each. If it is drums, some of the canoes can take between 100 to 200 drums and if it is jerry cans of 50 litres, some can take between 1,000 and 1,500.
Continuing, the source said that the authorities of Western Naval Command were carrying out further investigations with a view to unearth some of the big guns behind the syndicate, adding that the FOC would soon hand over the matter to the police.
“As I am talking to you, I'm aware that efforts are being made through some big contacts by sponsors of these smugglers including traditional rulers to get the Naval Authorities to release the arrested smugglers and their loot because incentives of between N3million to N5million have been dangled before the authorities which has been snubbed by the FOC and his men””, the source said.
Already, Sunday Vanguard gathered that NNS Beecroft has been directed to intensify its security operations around the Atlas Cove Jetty and its pipelines network to forestall any reprisal sabotage action on the part of the syndicate that might throw the country into another round of fuel crisis.
