Crime
NSCDC Uncovered Illegal Refinery in Rivers’ Thick Forest

NSCDC Uncovered Illegal Refinery in Rivers’ Thick Forest
By: Michael Mike
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered another illegal bunkering site were stolen crude oil are channeled to a thick forest Umuedeokwara Community, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. where they are refined.
A press statement on Tuesday by the National Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, Afolabi Babawale said the
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’SIS) uncovered another illegal bunkering site where stolen crude oil was tapped, channelled to reservoirs and refined locally in a thick forest at Umuedeokwara Community, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He said the CG’s SIS Commander, Deputy Commandant Appolos Dandaura, hinted during a media briefing that the squad acted based on sustained intelligence, which revealed that a gang of criminal elements was operating an illegal refinery at the crime scene.
Dandaura said: “Like we always reiterate that our operations are intelligence-based and we value every piece of information and preserve the integrity of our informants; we swung into action, combed the entire forest and discovered where the suspects were refining crude oil locally after storage in large trampoline reservoirs and further packaged them in cellophane bags and sacks.
“These unscrupulous saboteurs connected fabricated and galvanized metallic pipes to the trunk lines of multinational oil pipeline installations with inserted valves; the suspects, however, took to their heels through the creeks due to the terrain upon sighting our men.
“The following exhibits were marked at the crime scene: about 20,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) stored in cellophane bags, large quantities of siphoned crude oil stored in tarpaulin reservoirs, different sizes of aluminium and plastic buckets, galvanized metallic Fabricated pipes, heavy-duty industrial hoses and items of clothing belonging to the suspects”.
Appolos said that the matching order of the Commandant General, Dr Ahmed Audi on the need to smoke out illegal bunkers and effect massive arrests for possible prosecution, frustrate their continuous efforts to sabotage the economy and to increase oil production in the nation; would always be carried out by the squad, adding that “the fight against illegal dealings in petroleum products is without compromise as the CG’SIS will not rest in combating the menace of crude oil theft across board .”
NSCDC Uncovered Illegal Refinery in Rivers’ Thick Forest
Crime
Terrorists attack herder, rustle 200 cattle in Monguno

Terrorists attack herder, rustle 200 cattle in Monguno
By: Zagazola Makama
Unknown gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists from the Buduma faction, shot a herder and rustled about 200 cattle in Yele bush area, Monguno Local Government Area, Borno State.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that three incident occurred on May 20, 2025, at about 11:00 a.m., according to a report by Abubakar Mohammed of Fulatari Ward, Monguno.
The sources said that his younger brother, Muhammadu Hammadu, 30, was grazing his cattle when the gunmen on foot attacked him, sustaining bullet wounds on his right hand and right buttock.
Security forces are intensifying efforts to track the attackers and recover the stolen livestock.
Terrorists attack herder, rustle 200 cattle in Monguno
Crime
Police officer arrested over alleged Cybercrime, Fraud in Ogun

Police officer arrested over alleged Cybercrime, Fraud in Ogun
By: Zagazola Makama
The Nigerian Police Force in Ogun has arrested one of its officers, Police Constable Idris Oloyede, over alleged involvement in conspiracy, stealing, cybercrime and other related offences.
Zagazola was reliably informed that the arrest was carried out on Wednesday by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta.
A police sources told Zagazola that Oloyede, who bears Force Number 537972, is attached to the patrol team at Odeda Divisional Headquarters.
According to the police sources, the arrest followed credible intelligence and investigation that linked the officer to the suspected crimes.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Odeda Division immediately released the officer for further interrogation upon the arrival of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit. The suspect has been transferred to the SCID for detailed investigation.
Police officer arrested over alleged Cybercrime, Fraud in Ogun
Crime
Army eliminate 6 Bandits as Forest Sanity III’ pushes deeper into Sokoto forests

Army eliminate 6 Bandits as Forest Sanity III’ pushes deeper into Sokoto forests
By: Zagazola Makama
As the troops of Operation FANSAN YABMA have continued their aggressive operations in the thick undergrowth of Gandumi Forest, North of Goronyo, the stillness of a late-morning haze was shattered on Thursday as soldiers from the 8 Division Gar Strike Team swept through a cluster of makeshift huts and weapons pits.
It was the latest push under Operation Forest Sanity III, a rolling clearance campaign designed to uproot terrorist and bandit enclaves that have long exploited Sokoto’s sprawling woodlands as a sanctuary.
Between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., the troops struck two separate hideouts: one in Gandumi Forest, Goronyo Local Government Area, and another in Indulumu village, Maradun LGA. Military sources told Zagazola Makama that six armed militants were neutralised in the combined raids.
Two AK-47 rifles, three motor-cycles, camouflage fatigues, assorted drugs and maintenance kits were recovered, while the camps themselves were levelled and set ablaze to prevent re-occupation.
“Every foot of ground we seize in these forests denies criminals a staging area,” a senior officer on the mission explained. “The goal is to keep them constantly off balance so they cannot regroup or threaten nearby communities.”
Barely an hour later and 70 kilometres away, a separate drama unfolded in Isa Local Government Area. Dozens of bandits riding motorcycles rolled toward Gamaroji, a dusty farming community often hit by rustling raids, only to meet an ambush laid by crack operatives on special assignment.
Acting on what authorities described as “specific, time-sensitive intelligence,” the team intercepted the convoy at about 11 a.m. A fierce exchange of fire ensued; one gunman was killed, the rest fled, abandoning two Honda motorcycles, an empty AK magazine and two assault rifles bearing.
Local residents told Zagazola Makama that the rapid response averted what could have been a mass abduction or livestock theft.
“We heard gunshots outside the village and thought they had come for us again,” said farmer Bawa Yusuf. “When it fell silent, we saw security men bringing out seized rifles. People are breathing easier tonight.”
Sokoto’s Eastern corridor from Goronyo down through Isa into Zamfara’s Maradun axis forms a critical transit route for armed gangs shuttling cattle, weapons and abductees between forest camps and black market buyers.
Operation Forest Sanity III, launched in March as the newest phase of the multi agency offensive, focuses on these corridors. Its mix of deliberate daytime assaults and intelligence driven night manoeuvres has already yielded a string of weapons recoveries and hostage rescues.
A defence Intelligence said the aim is two-fold: “Deny the bad actors depth and logistics, while reassuring civilians that the state is reclaiming every contested space.”
For villages like Gamaroji and Indulumu, each successful raid offers a brief respite. Yet many residents remain cautious, mindful that retreating fighters often strike back at soft targets.
A District head who chose to be anonymous for the fear of being targeted urged continued vigilance. “We thank the security forces for today’s success,” he told Zagazola. “But we still need sustained patrols and quick response lines because the criminals melt into other forests.”
Military commanders say the campaign will persist “until all camps are dismantled and freedom of movement is restored.
Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad Region
End
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