Two suspected crude oil thieves have been arraigned in Akwa Ibom State and ordered to remain in custody at the Uyo Medium Correctional Facility for an initial 21 days pending further proceedings.
Two suspected crude oil thieves have been arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court in Uyo, bringing the number of suspects facing trial over alleged crude oil theft in Akwa Ibom State to 19.
The suspects, Arepade Dominic Ekprese and Benson Ekiokekeme Innocent, were arraigned yesterday after they were earlier said to have been on the run.
The Magistrate Court, sitting along Fulga Road, Uyo, declined jurisdiction to hear the substantive matter, citing constitutional provisions relating to the jurisdiction of courts over offences of such gravity.
The court, however, ordered that the suspects be remanded at the Uyo Medium Correctional Facility for an initial period of 21 days.
The development followed the Department of State Services’ application for a legal order to detain the suspects pending the resumption of the Federal High Court, Uyo, which is currently on recess and handling the substantive case.
It was gathered that seventeen other suspects linked to the alleged crude oil theft operation were earlier arraigned before the Federal High Court, Uyo, and remanded at the Medium Security Correctional Centre, Uyo, alongside two motorised tankers.
The suspects were arrested following an intelligence-driven operation by the Joint Task Force South South, Operation Delta Safe (JTF-SS OPDS), on April 9, 2026.
The operation led to the arrest of crew members and the seizure of two motorised tankers, MT WESTAF and MT MKPODU, which were allegedly found siphoning crude oil from a platform operated by an oil company on the shores of Akwa Ibom State.
The two most recent suspects, who were said to have been at large following the initial operation, have now been brought before the court as investigations and legal proceedings continue.
A security source said the ongoing intelligence-driven operations against crude oil theft across the Niger Delta form part of the Federal Government’s efforts to increase the country’s crude oil production and strengthen foreign exchange earnings.
The source added that the operations are aimed at disrupting activities capable of undermining the country’s oil production and revenue.
