The Chief Security Officer of the Transtell company and Envoy Group, Onitsha, Anambra state, Mr. Ralph Njoku, has dismissed social media report which claimed that soldiers from the 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, molested and threatened staff of the company, and also took away the company’s vegetable oil products worth two hundred million naira (N200,000,000).
A recent report that went viral on the social media claimed that soldiers stormed the facility of the company located at No. 20 GMO road, Atani Industrial Layout, near Onitsha, chased workers away, held the company’s security men hostage before taking away the company’s oil products worth about N200m to an unknown place.
In an interview with journalists that visited the company, the security officer expressed surprise, saying such information did not emanate from the company, as such thing did not happen in the organization.
He said, “I was surprised when I came across the news that personnel of the Nigerian Army invaded our facility and carted away with our products worth millions of naira. Nothing like that happened in Transtell factory.
“What actually happened was that personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in the company of other security agencies, evacuated and destroyed crude found in our company. That evacuation of suspected crude was monitored by our company’s security men, including myself, who is the Chief Security Officer.
“Besides what I’ve just said, nothing in Transtell factory was tampered with; nobody was molested, and no facility was vandalized. That particular social media report was, to say the least, mischievous, misleading, damaging and untrue.”
Meanwhile, a Joint Task Force comprising the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Chief of Defence Staff Committee on Vandalization, Sunday, June 22, destroyed tons of crude petroleum after uncovering alleged illegal refinery operated by one Transtell Company and Envoy Group in Onitsha, Anambra state.
Personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) through intelligence, stormed the facility with other security agencies, and subsequently evacuated the crude petroleum after discovering what appeared to be illegal refinary run within the premises of the company where vegetable oil is also produced.
The joint task force, thereafter, moved truck loads of the crude to a safe place – within the second Niger Bridge area – where it was destroyed to serve as deterrent to others who might want to commit similar crime.
In an interview with newsmen during the exercise, spokesperson of the joint taskforce, Assistant Commandant Chinweze Chinenye, who is the O/C Operation, NSCDC, Anambra state command, said that the factory, Transtell Company and Envoy Group, located at No. 20 GMO road, Atani Industrial Layout, near Onitsha, pretended that they produce palm carnnel and veritable oil etc; but that when the JTF stormed the premises, it was discovered that the factory also operate what could be called illegal refinary within the facility.
“They said that they produce veritable oil, palm kernel oil and others, but at the back of the factory, we discovered crude and refined low density oil in very large quantities. That proved that they also run illegal refinary,” he said.
Chinweze, who represented the Anambra state Commandant of NSCDC, Mr. Maku Adekunle, said though no arrests were made, yet, investigations would continue until they arrive at the root of the matter.
