Three 'oil thieves' arrested

2009-07-04 11:36

Lagos - Nigeria's special military joint task force (JTF) protecting oil installations in the restive Niger Delta has arrested three suspects for stealing crude oil, a spokesperson said.

"The suspects were arrested following a tip-off at a checkpoint at Bomadi, Delta state, carrying a substance suspected to be crude oil," Colonel Rabe Abubakar said late Friday.

He said they had been handed over to the country's anti-graft agency EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.

"The task force maintains its zero tolerance stance on illegal oil bunkering (stealing of crude oil) and other related criminal activities in the Niger Delta," Abubakar said.

The stealing of crude oil from the oil-rich Niger Delta by armed gangs, pirates and their foreign collaborators costs Nigeria millions of dollars in lost revenue every year.

The past three and a half years have seen an upsurge in militant activities in the region with frequent attacks on foreign oil companies and a wave of kidnappings of expatriate employees.

- AFP