Police Nab Truck Drivers For Alleged Base Oil Theft

Detectives from Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos, have arrested four tanker drivers, and a 'motor boy' who allegedly stole tonnes of base oil worth over N2bn belonging to a lubricant and grease manufacturing company, Climax Oil Lubricant.

The arrested drivers are, Joseph Gambo, Fabian Okafor, Chijioke Anyanha, Tochukwu Obiora, and Azeez Saheed.

The drivers were said to have been undersupplying base oil to the company over the years by allegedly manipulating the meters by attaching a small hose to the manhole.

According to police, the management of the company noticed that the accused tanker drivers had been undersupplying base oil to Climax Oil Lubricant, and had defrauded the company of over N2 billion between March 2019 and October 2023.

“The management had noticed that for three years of being in the oil and gas business, the company had a high number of shortages due to undersupply of base oil already paid for.

“The management was informed by an anonymous caller, who disclosed that the tanker drivers supplying base oil to the company have been engaging in nefarious activities.

According to a police source, “The information I got is that all the drivers are taking up to 1000 litres on each trip. I was told how they do it in three ways. First, they will put the big gasket on the manhole, when they finish loading, and they get to where they are selling it, they will lose the manhole completely because the seal is on the top, remove the big gasket and put the small one.

On how the accused drivers manipulated the meters, Dr Emmanuel Iheagwazi, Chief Executive Officer of the company, said, "The company's meter is three inches, what they do is that they will put a small hose so that if you are having three meters, you have to put three meters of manhole. When that one came, they started offloading.

“All the lorries have been manipulated. When I discovered this, I called Ike Timothy, who is the head of the transportation section, to call them so that we can resolve it, but he said they were not guilty. 

“I called my marketing manager to climb the lorry to see the manhole. What he saw was an eyesore. The tank is built 11 feet, 11 feet, 11 feet, 11 feet so after the first 11 feet, the driver blocked it and put a valve after loading, the valve will close. We got about 300 litres of shortages after the driver offloaded.

“We have made a formal report at the AIG zone 2 office at Onikan, Lagos, so they will follow the police to go and write their statements about what they know.

“Already, about five trucks belonging to the drivers have been impounded until the matter is resolved.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) Apapa branch, Mr Jimoh Adeniran, has waded into the matter by apologizing on behalf of the drivers and asking the company for an amicable settlement.

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