Eugene Okolosie, Chairman of the Edo State Task Force on Recovery of Government Property, disclosed this during a briefing in which he outlined recent achievements by the Task Force. He revealed that the suspects allegedly collaborated with some members of the community to carry out the sophisticated theft, using heavy machinery such as excavators to unearth and remove the underground pipes intended to transport crude oil from Warri to the Kaduna refinery.
According to Okolosie, part of the stolen pipeline has been recovered, and investigations are ongoing to uncover the full extent of the operation and the involvement of additional suspects.
In a related crackdown, the Task Force also arrested five individuals in Uhuoghun, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, for vandalising a government-owned agricultural tractor along with other heavy-duty equipment, which they reportedly intended to sell. Additionally, five more suspects were arrested in Okpella for the theft of high-tension electricity infrastructure.
Speaking further, Okolosie expressed deep concern over the increasing incidents of illegal encroachment and sale of government lands across Edo State. He noted that 480 hectares of public land, which had been unlawfully sold by members of various communities, havenow been recovered.
He cited the case of Sobe, where community members reportedly cut down Melina and teak trees planted by the government in a designated forest reserve and replaced them with plantain crops.
“This has been going on for the past eight years,” he said, emphasizing that much of the land being sold illegally belonged to the state and had been designated for public use.
Okolosie highlighted the situation in Ewomama community, where several vital public assets—including a civic centre, power generator, local market, and the land belonging to a community secondary school—had been sold off illegally. He confirmed that all the assets have since been reclaimed by the government.
He also pointed to the troubling trend of land grabbing involving properties meant for educational institutions, stating that nearly every public school in the state had been affected. “In Uromi, a private school was even built within the premises of a public school,” he said. The Task Force has reportedly made significant progress in reclaiming these lands to restore their intended use.
“Anybody that attacks education is attacking the future of his community,” Okolosie warned, while expressing gratitude to the state government for supporting the Task Force in its operations.
He also cautioned members of the public to be wary of individuals impersonating Task Force officials and demanding money, reiterating the government’s commitment to rooting out criminal elements threatening public resources and infrastructure.
