EXCLUSIVE: How Rivers NSCDC Commandant Sold N304m Worth Of Fuel, Tankers Despite Court Order

….CG Orders Commandant’s Removal, Constitutes Investigative Panel

The Rivers State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Michael Ogar, has been accused of auctioning seized petrol products and trucks worth over N304m despite a subsisting court order directing the release of the product.

This development led to a faceoff by members of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and NSCDC operatives on Wednesday as truck drivers blocked the entrance of the command located at Olu Obasanjo Way, GRA, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The blockade which disrupted traffic flow was eventually cleared after the NSCDC reached an agreement with NUPENG to temporarily halt protest as they attempt to find an amicable resolution to the crisis.

An executive of NUPENG in Rivers State who did not want to be named told THE WHISTLER that the NSCDC impounded the trucks on the suspicion that they were loaded with oil that was not genuine.

He said, the Union subsequently dragged the matter to the Rivers State High Court where it secured a judgement ordering the release of the impounded trucks.

The source added that Rivers commandant, Ogar, however, refused to comply with the judgement of the court and release the seized trucks and instead sold off the products and repainted the trucks for auction.

Narrating the incident, he said, “The issue is that our trucks were arrested by the NSCDC’s anti-vandal team in River State, and they parked our trucks in their compound where they normally park exhibits. We pursued the case in court, and after a while, the court released our trucks, knowing that what we loaded was genuine product, PMS. So, they released the trucks in court through the Attorney General of the state.

“But on getting there to pick up the trucks, the commandant said he’s not going to release them, we got back to him and showed him all the necessary things, and since then he has been dribbling us, come today come tomorrow.

“What now triggered the tanker drivers to block that place is that we discovered that he has gone there to pick up all the trucks and removed all the products inside the trucks and painted all the trucks white.

“So, immediately the tanker drivers discovered that, all of them got angry, we that are their leaders spoke to them and they said no, that there’s no guarantee for them even if they load new products, the same man is going to arrest them and take away their trucks without justice and that is why they went to block the NSCDC command in the state.

“They only blocked their office for them to release their trucks. Immediately we swing into action, they gave us undertaken, that what they did is wrong and that they are going to return our trucks and products in 14 days time. We have the undertaken with us, and they assured us that they are going to return it.”

On the combined value of the product and trucks, the source said, “the product as of today using N511 the federal government approved pump price. One truck carried 45,000 liters, two trucks carried 40,000 liters each. The two trucks with 40,000 litres loaded from Oando Lagos and the value of the product is about N20m each, but the one that carried 45,000 litres is N23m without the transport fares.

“The trucks by itself, we have the one of N75m and the one of N80m. The one of N75m is two and the one of N80m is one. So, the product and the truck, one of them combine is N110m and the other two are N97m each. That’s exactly what happened.

“We have the Rivers State high court judgment here, so whatever they are doing is just to cover up their mess. We are going to have a meeting with them today, their boss is coming down from Abuja and what they are coming to do is to plead with us as they pleaded yesterday and gave us undertaken. They don’t want the media and Nigerians to know what they are doing,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Commandant General (CG) of the NSCDC, Abubakar Audi has ordered the removal of the state commandant while constituting an investigation panel to unearth the cause of the crisis.

A statement on Thursday by NSCDC Director of Public Relations, Olusola Odumosu, said the CG ordered the removal of Ogar pending the deployment of a substantive Commandant to the state.

“I have constituted a high-powered committee to carry out full-scale investigation into the incident in Port Harcourt.

“Nigerians are fully aware that we are the lead agency in the protection of critical government assets and infrastructure.

“Therefore, under my watch, no act of indiscipline, compromise, or sabotage would be condoned from anyone within and outside the Corps.

“I have given the committee a marching order to ascertain the role played by either of the parties and anyone found guilty would be severely dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the law,” Audi was quoted to have said.