Some suspected oil vandals who were arrested for pipeline vandalism, have reportedly escaped from the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC) in Kogi state.
The suspects identified as Hassan Sani, Auwal Mohamed, Mohamed Mustapha , Mudashiru Abubakar and Ibrahim Rabiu were arrested by the anti-vandals unit of the corps on Thursday March 11, while ferrying products siphoned from the Niger Delta region to the north.
Upon interrogation, they reportedly confessed that the products which were in two trucks were illegally scooped from a pipeline at a forest in one of the oil-rich states.
A source told Daily Trust;
“These suspects can not escape on their own; it was made possible with the aid of some officers because the wall of the cell is so high and solid that it will be very difficult to break.
“We understand that one of the suspects in the cell gave a phone number of a certain fellow who in turn reached out to some of our men that facilitated their escape.”
It was also alleged that a guard in charge of the cell whose name was given as Aliu Sunday, was heavily drunk on the day the suspects escaped.
When contacted, the state commandant, Samuel Peter Maigari confirmed the incident and further disclosed that he has ordered the detention of those on duty when the suspects escaped. He said a full investigation will be conducted to fish out those who facilitated the escape.