Oil Thieves Roasted In Port Harcourt

Bolaji Ogundele, Port Harcourt - 02.02.2008

Tens of suspected oil thieves were on Thursday evening reported roasted in an explosion that occurred while they were in a gun battle with men of the Nigerian Navy around Soku, Rivers State.

The Navy in Port Harcourt, however, said it was yet to be notified of the development.

Saturday Tribune gathered that naval men ran into the suspected oil thieves who were seen siphoning fuel into barges and vessels.

A shootout reportedly broke out and bullet hit one of the barges, sparking off a huge and fast traveling inferno on the water.

According to reports from Ajakajaka, a community in Andoni Local Government Area of the state, nine of the suspects, who were known oil thieves from the community, died in the explosion.

But when contacted for confirmation of the report, the Navy Public Relations Officer of the NNS Pathfinder, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Lieutenant Way Olabisi, denied knowledge of the incidence.

According to him, naval personnel patrol the waterways in the state round the clock and breakthroughs have re-cently been announced.
He, however, said that “no such report has been communicated to us yet.”

It will be recalled that just on Thursday, the day the explosion was said to have occurred, the Navy had paraded 10 suspected oil thieves arrested in the act of oil theft.