In its determination to curb the menace of crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region, particularly Akwa Ibom State, the Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday arraigned two additional suspects, bringing the total to nineteen suspects facing trial for alleged crude oil theft.

New Telegraph reports that those brought before the Magistrate Court sitting at Fulga Road, Uyo on Thursday included Arepade Dominic Ekprese and Benson Ekiokekeme Innocent, who were earlier on the run.

The Magistrate Court, which declined jurisdiction over the matter due to the gravity of the said offence, citing relevant portions of the constitution, however remanded the suspects at Uyo Medium Correctional facility for an initial period of twenty-one days.

It was gathered that the Federal High Court, which is handling the matter, is on recess, which prompted the DSS’ resort to the Magistrate Court for a legal order to detain the suspects pending resumption of the Federal High Court for proper trial.

Also, the alleged offence committed on 9th April, 2026 was busted following an intelligence-driven operation led by Joint Task Force – South South, Operation Delta Safe(JTF-SS OPDS), which arrested twenty-six crew members and two motorised tankers, namely MT WESTAF and MT MKPODU.

The two vessels were arrested while siphoning crude oil from a platform operated by a major oil company operating on the shores of Akwa Ibom State.

It could be recalled that seventeen of the suspects and the two vessels were earlier arraigned before the Federal High Court, Uyo and have been remanded at the Medium Security Correctional Centre, Uyo, pending resumption of the matter in September.

A security source also revealed that the ongoing intelligence-driven anti-crude oil theft operations across the Niger Delta region are part of the Federal Government’s resolve to shore up the nation’s daily crude oil production, which will in turn increase the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

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