NSCDC nabs NNPCL truck driver for allegedly diverting fuel

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Osun State has apprehended a driver for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Afeez Adegbola, for allegedly diverting 10,000 litres of petrol intended for delivery to an NNPCL mega station.

Speaking during the suspect’s presentation, along with his two assistants, in Osogbo, the state NSCDC Commandant, Igbalawole Sotiyo, revealed that the arrest occurred on Friday evening.

According to Sotiyo, Adegbola loaded 40,000 litres of petrol from Pinnacle Distribution Depot in Eleko, Lagos, with a waybill indicating that the entire shipment was bound for the NNPCL mega station in Osogbo.

However, only 30,000 litres were allegedly delivered to the designated station. Acting on a tip-off, NSCDC officers tracked the truck, registered AGG 959 XA, and found the remaining 10,000 litres being offloaded at a private filling station in Ikirun, Ifelodun Local Government Area.

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The commandant stated that the suspects confessed to having received instructions from their company to deliver 30,000 litres to the NNPCL station in Osogbo and the rest to a private location. He described the act as “economic sabotage and stealing,” emphasizing the NSCDC’s commitment to prosecuting those who undermine the government’s fuel distribution efforts.

Sotiyo urged NNPCL managers and supervisors to collaborate with the NSCDC to ensure that anyone engaging in such practices is held accountable. Assuming his new role as commandant, he issued a stern warning to those involved in criminal activities in Osun State: “It is no more business as usual.”

The commandant assured that once investigations conclude, the suspects would face charges in court.