Some residents of Ogun State, particularly those at the Arepo, Mowe, Ogere and Shagamu axis have challenged the state government to exercise more scrutiny and vigilance as they raise alarm over alleged regulatory lapses that may have encouraged operations of different kinds of companies, whose activities are concealed from the public.
The companies operated mostly by Chinese nationals and some Nigeians are allegedly poluting the environment and destroying some infrastructure, like roads as well as repulsive odour being emited, mostly at nights.
They wonder what the state and even the local governments are doing and whether due regulatory and approval processes were being followed before these companies are being operated.
Most times, the security men at the gates could hardly say the activities of the companies they provide security, even when they do not have access into the ‘production’ rooms.
The renewed calls are coming following the uncovering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of an illegal oil refinery allegedly operated by Chinese nationals in Ogere, Ogun State.
The commission said the facility was discovered on October 31 during an operation by operatives of its Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, following intelligence gathering and surveillance on suspected illegal sludge oil refiners.
Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday, noting that the operators had abandoned the premises before the operatives arrived.
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According to the commission, investigators found waste products from the refining process and underground tanks believed to have been used for heating and processing sludge oil.
“During the raid, underground tanks believed to have been used for heating and processing the sludge oil were also discovered,” the statement said.
“Two of the underground tanks inspected contained substances suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), otherwise known as diesel.”
The EFCC said preliminary investigations indicated that the operators sourced sludge oil, also known as black sludge, from Warri in Delta State and Port Harcourt in Rivers State before transporting it to Ogere for processing.
The operators allegedly subjected the sludge oil to intense heat, allowing lighter petroleum components to pass through chambers and filters in a process believed to produce diesel for sale in the Nigerian market.
The commission said security personnel at the facility told investigators that the Chinese nationals operating the refinery had not disclosed their identities or the name of the company behind the business.
The EFCC added that its operatives had taken over the premises while investigations continued to establish the identities of the operators, the ownership of the facility and the extent of the suspected illegal activities.
The discovery came after an earlier operation in which the commission shut down four illegal lithium processing plants in the same area.
The EFCC did not disclose whether any arrests had been made in connection with the suspected refinery.