Suspect remanded over attempted oil pipeline vandalisation

A Federal High Court has remanded a suspected oil thief, Ugochukwu Ibekwe, arrested by operatives of the Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) at Kuje pending the court’s ruling.

According to PINL, Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court Abuja had adjourned the matter to July 1, 2026 for ruling on the bail application and other pending applications.

The court also reserved the ruling until July 1 on the bail application of Ugochukwu Ibekwe, an alleged oil thief and suspected economic saboteur whose arrest followed intelligence gathered by PINL and other security agencies along the Eastern corridor of the Trans Niger Pipeline.

Ibekwe is facing charges of conspiracy, tampering with oil pipelines, unlawful dealing in petroleum products, operating unlicensed refining sites and money laundering. The Federal Government, through its prosecution team, opposed his application for bail at the resumed hearing.

The prosecution, led by Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), alleged that the defendant’s activities resulted in significant economic losses and environmental damage, and contributed to incidents that allegedly led to the deaths of more than 500 persons.

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