Abia State government has donated 30 patrol vans equipped with security gadgets to the Nigeria Police Force as part of her strategy to equip security agencies in the state to launch an all-out offensive against oil thieves who were milking the state dry.

At a ceremony to hand over the patrol vans  Umuahia, Abia State governor, Chief Theodore Orji, said the oil thieves were economic saboteurs who were vandalising oil pipes and setting up illegal refineries which have led to dwindling oil production in the state thereby depriving the state of huge revenue from the federation account.

Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, received the patrol vans.

“One thing is embarrassing us now. It is the breaking of oil pipelines in some of our local government areas where oil is produced, especially Ukwa West,” Orji told the Acting IGP.

The governor said the oil thieves were kidnappers dislodged from their nefarious business who were now turning their attention to pipelines vandalism and building illegal refineries.

“Some of these boys, we have been able to dislodge with your effort from kidnapping, have found another haven. They now go into breaking pipelines and selling our oil and establishing illegal refineries, thereby denying the state its legitimate accruals from the federation account. This is affecting us drastically and we have to fight it,” the governor said.

It could be recalled that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot in Osisioma, Abia State, was shut down over a decade ago mainly due to activities of pipeline vandals.

Efforts to reopen then depot have remained a tortuous journey but the Abia State government has expressed its determination to bring the depot back on stream but the NNPC management and the federal government have tasked the state to provide adequate security along the pipelines.

To demonstrate its preparedness to achieving this, Abia State government has provided all security agencies in the state with well-equipped operational vans, including the Army which received 25 patrol vans about two weeks ago.

Orji assured that his administration would continue to partner with the security agencies to ensure that criminal activities in the state were eradicated

“What we are doing today has become a ritual in the sense that as finances permit us, we try as much as we can to assist the security agencies so that our security situation will be sustained and enhanced,” he said.

“Security is very essential in governance. Every responsible government should be in a position to protect the lives and property of her citizens. Any government that fails to do that is lagging behind and that is why we are doing what we are doing,” Orji added, saying that he believes that if the police is well equipped and the public provides it with genuine information, it would excel in fighting crime.

Responding, the Acting IGP assured the governor the vans would be put to judicious use and enjoined the public to report any officer or group of officers who put the vehicles to any form of misuse, including harassing or molesting civilians.

Abubakar directed officers and men of Abia State Command of the Nigeria Police Force to

dedicate a number of the vehicles for  patrols in the oil-producing local governments and to ensure that it works in partnership with other security agencies to ensure that the vandals would  be brought to book.

PHOTO CAPTION

A cross section of the operational vehicles donated to the
Nigerian Police, Abia State Command, by the Abia State Government in
Umuahia. Photo: Ibeabuchi Abarikwu