The Rivers State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lawal Haruna Mohammed, has said that the state command is collaborating with other sister security agencies to explore modern ways of containing the menace of black soot in Rivers State.
He said the issue of black soot is beyond NSCDC, adding that it is a national issue. He stated that in one of its drives to contain black soot, the command carried out a massive onslaught on illegal oil bunkering sites where, he said, 132 persons were arrested while 15 vehicles, 36 trucks, 20 boats, 2 vessels, 4 barges and 170 drums conveying adulterated vandalised products were impounded.
Lawal Mohammed who spoke in Port Harcourt on the side-line of the command’s end of year account of stewardship, said Rivers State Government on discovering the harmful impact of black soot, set up a committee to tackle the menace, saying that the committee, in collaboration with other agencies, is addressing the issue.
Mohammed said NSCDC was not involved in burning down and destruction of illegal refineries. He said the command was collaborating with other sister security agencies in using swamp buggy to destroy all the components used in carrying out illegal refinery activities.
He said whenever the need arises the command collaborates with sister agencies to destroy illegal refinery components but pointed out that most of the impounded accessories used in carrying out the illegal activities were preserved as exhibit for prosecution of perpetrators.
He said “we discovered that burning of illegal refinery components and accessories has never been an issue. In civil defence we don’t burn exhibits. If we burn our exhibits we will not have evidence to take the suspects to court
“If you are talking of illegal refinery, there are so many modern ways of destroying illegal refineries. We, in collaboration with other security agencies, are using swamp buggy to destroy all equipment used in illegal refineries,” he said.
