The Adamawa State Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) has intercepted a truck allegedly loaded with pipelines belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
NSCDC Commander in Adamawa, Idris Bande, said the arrest followed credible intelligence from residents. He made the revelation while parading the suspects on Monday in Yola.
“The villagers where the pipes were loaded took a photograph of the truck and its license plate number and sent it to the command for action,” Bande explained. “I quickly deployed my officers along the Jalingo-Yola highway and the truck was intercepted.”
He added that when intercepted, the driver manipulated the vehicle to prevent it from moving. “We contacted the owner of the truck and he promised to come, but he didn’t. After six days of waiting with my officers guarding the truck, we decided to tow it to our headquarters here in Yola,” Bande said.
The commander revealed that the intercepted truck contained more than 200 pipes suspected to belong to the NNPC, adding that the company’s depot manager in Adamawa had confirmed ownership of the items.
He also recalled that about three weeks earlier, the command had stopped another truck carrying more than 300 NNPC tubes.
According to him, the investigation into the latest incident has been concluded and the suspects will soon be charged in court.
Bande warned those involved in theft and vandalism of government property to desist or face the full wrath of the law.