Afeez Adegbala, a driver associated with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has been arrested for allegedly diverting 10,000 litres of petrol designated for a company station in Osogbo. The arrest, made on Friday by personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Osun State, also involved two motor boys accompanying Adegbala.
Parading the suspects, NSCDC State Commandant, Igbalawole Sotiyo, disclosed that the driver and his assistants were apprehended at about 8:21 pm with the NNPCL truck in their possession. According to Sotiyo, the truck initially loaded 40,000 litres of petrol from the Pinnacle Distribution Depot in Eleko, Lagos, bound for an NNPCL mega station in Osogbo. However, only 30,000 litres were delivered to the intended location.
Adegbala was subsequently intercepted while attempting to offload the remaining 10,000 litres at TEMPOLA filling station in Ikirun, located in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Osun State.
“It is an act of sabotage and stealing against the state. They are saboteurs and anti-state,” Sotiyo stated, emphasizing that the NSCDC is committed to addressing such acts of diversion within the petroleum supply chain. He issued a stern warning to all stakeholders involved in distributing petroleum products, stressing that any actions undermining government resources would lead to arrest and prosecution.
“NSCDC uses this medium to call on NNPCL managers and supervisors nationwide to collaborate with us in ensuring that those attempting to sabotage the government are brought to justice,” Sotiyo concluded.
