No fewer than 43 persons have been convicted for oil theft, vandalism and illegal dealings in petroleum products, while 26 unlicensed private security outfits in the Akwa Ibom State University have been shut down over alleged quackery.

The Akwa Ibom State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) also arrested a truckload of Yoghurt drink with adulterated diesel hidden in between the drinks.

State Commandant of the NSCDC, Samuel Fadeyi, who disclosed this in an interview with The Guardian, urged members of the public to constantly give security information to the command, which he said, would help in stemming insecurity in the country.

Fadeyi explained that the arrested truck was loaded in Ahoada Council of Rivers State and had evaded several security checkpoints, but luck ran out on the criminals when NSCDC operatives on the Calabar-Itu highway conducted a routine check on the truck.

Two suspects namely: Aliyu Mohammadu, ‘M’ 27 and Sani Mohammadu ‘M’ 25, were arrested and paraded before newsmen and will be charged to court immediately.

Fadeyi, who cautioned criminals to refrain from sabotaging the economy through bunkering of adulterated petroleum products, called on citizens to be wary of new antics devised by criminals to commit crimes and report any suspicious activity to security agencies.