The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Adamawa State has intercepted a truck laden with over 200 pieces of vandalised Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) pipelines.
The State Commandant of the Corps, Mr. Idris Bande, disclosed this during a press briefing on Monday in Yola.
According to Bande, the interception was carried out at Mayo-Belwa Local Government Area of the state following credible intelligence from an informant in Taraba State.
“The informant reported suspicious movement of a truck conveying pipeline materials from Jalingo, Taraba State, toward Adamawa. Based on the information, we obtained pictures of the truck and its contents. I immediately directed our personnel to mount surveillance along the Jalingo–Yola road, particularly around the Mayo-Belwa area,” Bande said.
He explained that the truck was eventually intercepted at the Operation Farauta checkpoint in Mayo-Belwa, where the driver and one other occupant were apprehended.
Bande said all efforts to reach the purported owners of the consignment proved abortive, adding that the truck was later secured and towed to the NSCDC Command headquarters in Yola for further investigation.
“Preliminary investigations confirmed that the intercepted items were NNPC pipelines vandalised from a border community between Taraba and Adamawa states,” he said.
The commandant noted that similar operations had been successfully executed in the past, while reaffirming the Corps’ commitment to protecting critical national infrastructure.
He stated that the suspects would be charged to court after investigations, while the recovered items would be handed over to the NNPC as directed by the court.
Bande warned individuals involved in pipeline vandalism to desist, and stressed that the Corps would not relent in bringing perpetrators to justice.
One of the suspects, who identified himself as the truck driver, claimed he was hired to transport the goods from Taraba to Gombe State.
“I am a truck driver. I was contacted to drive the vehicle to Gombe. When I saw the pipelines covered with bags of food produce, I became suspicious, but they assured me they had all the necessary documents and approvals,” he said.
He further alleged that the loading of the items in Taraba was supervised by men in Army and Civil Defence uniforms, who later escorted the vehicle before departure.
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