He added that while the investigation was ongoing, some of the suspects who had been detained at the scene remained in the army’s custody.
“We are holding the few individuals who have been arrested in the hopes that they will provide us with important information that could result in the arrest of other individuals involved in this act.”
One of the suspects admitted to the crime while fielding questions from reporters, claiming the wells belonged to various local families.
He disclosed that diggers were often paid about N40,000 to drill a well that was approximately 15 feet deep. He also disclosed that occasionally, diggers pass away while excavating wells due to gas inhalation.
It is owned by the community and not by a single person, according to the suspects, whose identities were withheld at the time this story was filed.
“If the area is like this, we occasionally dig 10 to 15 feet to collect oil. If you don’t run out of gas in time, people could suffocate and we could have to pull them out half-dead, but the unfortunate ones would die when we dig and discover that the gas is rising.
“We give them soda and water when we bring them outside. When we have done excavating, another set will arrive to retrieve the oil that emerges following the gas.