Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
A Joint Task Force comprising the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Chief of Defence Staff Committee on Vandalization, Sunday, destroyed tons of crude petroleum after uncovering alleged illegal refinery in Onitsha.
Personnel of the NSCDC, through intelligence, stormed the facility operated by one Transtell Company and Envoy Group with other security agencies.
During the visit, the security operatives evacuated the crude petroleum after discovering what appeared to be illegal refinery run within the premises of the company where vegetable oil is also produced.
The joint taskforce, thereafter, moved truck loads of the crude to a safe place – within the second Niger Bridge area – where it was destroyed to serve as deterrent to others who might want to commit similar crime.
In an interview with newsmen during the exercise, spokesperson of the joint taskforce, Assistant Commandant Chinweze Chinenye, who is the AC Operation, NSCDC, Anambra State command, said that the factory, Transtell Company and Envoy Group, located at No. 20 GMO road, Atani Industrial Layout, near Onitsha, pretended that they produce palm carnnel and vegitable oil etc; but that when the JTF stormed the premesis, it was discovered that the factory also operate what could be called illegal refinery within the facility.
“They said that they produce veritable oil, palm carnnel oil and others, but at the back of the factory, we discovered crude and refined low density oil in very large quantities. That proved that they also run illegal refinery,” he said.
Chinweze, who represented the Anambra State Commandant of NSCDC, Mr. Maku Adekunle, said though no arrests were made yet, investigations would continue until they arrive at the root of the matter.
Meanwhile, the Chief Security Officer of the Transtell Group, Mr. Ralph Njoku, has denied the social media report which claimed that soldiers from the 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, molested and threatened to kill staff of the company, and also took away the company’s vegetable oil products worth two hundred million naira (N200,000,000).
While speaking with journalists that visited the company on Sunday, June 22, the security officer expressed surprise, saying that such information did not emanate from the company, as such a thing did not happen in the organization.
He said, “I was surprised when I came across the news that personnel of the Nigerian Army invaded our facility and carted away with our products worth millions of naira. Nothing like that happened in Transtell factory.
“What actually happened was that personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in the company of other security agencies, evacuated and destroyed the crude found in our company. That evacuation of suspected crude was monitored by the company’s security men, including myself, who is the Chief Security Officer.
“The joint taskforce did not do it alone. Besides what I’ve just said, nothing in Transtell factory was tampered with; nobody was molested, and no facility was vandalized. The social media report was, to say the least, mischievous, misleading, damaging and untrue.”
