Lagos Dismantles Oil Bunkering Syndicate, Arrest 27 Individuals
The Lagos State Government, through the Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), popularly known as KAI, has dismantled an illegal oil bunkering syndicate and arrested 27 individuals found in possession of counterfeit naira notes during an enforcement operation at The Rock Drive, Lekki Phase 1, on Wednesday.
According to a statement by the spokesperson of LAGESC, Ajayi Lukman, the Corps Marshal, Major Olaniyi Cole (rtd), disclosed this at the agency’s headquarters in Bolade-Oshodi.
Cole explained that intelligence reports revealed the unlicensed depot was harming the environment and posing serious threats to public safety. The location also served as a hub for the circulation of fake naira notes, which were being used to defraud unsuspecting vendors and residents.
Operatives from LAGESC’s special squad raided the site, uncovering makeshift storage structures, drums, and jerry cans filled with adulterated diesel.
Cole emphasised that such illegal activities could lead to fire outbreaks, soil contamination, and other risks to people and businesses in the area.
He noted that the operation successfully halted all ongoing illegal storage and bunkering activities, secured the premises, and apprehended the 27 suspects involved in both oil bunkering and the circulation of fake currency.
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‘‘We discovered via intelligence reports how the activities of an unlicensed depot and oil bunkering enclave impacted the environment negatively thereby constituting a threat to public health and safety whilst providing cover for miscreants found in possession of fake naira notes used to transact at night to unsuspecting vendors and well-meaning Nigerians,” Cole said.
The Corps Marshal reaffirmed LAGESC’s commitment to enforcing environmental laws and reducing infractions across Lagos.
He urged residents to use pedestrian bridges strategically placed across the state to prevent avoidable accidents caused by speeding motorists, aligning with the safety objectives of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES+ agenda.
