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FG declares war on vandals, oil thieves

The Federal Government has vowed to bring down its might on vandals and oil thieves who are sabotaging the nation’s economy, this is also as it charges the security forces to collaborate to end the scourge.

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola made the declaration at the commissioning of eight gunboats acquired for use by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Tuesday.

“Those who steal crude oil not only deny the country of the much needed revenue; they sell the stolen goods at discounted prices, well below the market value. This black market creates a glut and forces down the official price. They have therefore made Nigeria to suffer the double jeopardy of loss in revenue and drop in value of the product.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has given us the resources and the marching order to take the war to them. As a step in this direction, the Federal Government is taking adequate steps to equip relevant security agencies and, by extension, the NSCDC, which is the lead agency in the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure,” the minister stated.

The minister further stated that the government is not oblivious of the dangers crude oil theft portends for the country, stating that the value of such theft is estimated to be in its billions.

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