IGP operatives arrest Delta community leader over alleged pipeline vandalization

Federal Criminal Investigation Department Arrests Community Leader Over Oil Pipeline Vandalism

ABUJA — Peter Teme Arumala, the President-General of the Oviri-Olomu Community in Delta State, was arrested by operatives of the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) on February 9, 2026. He is accused of being involved in the vandalization and theft of a 16-inch South Forcados Oil Delivery pipeline owned by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have initiated a manhunt for eleven additional suspects linked to the case, who are reportedly members of the community’s executive and have since gone into hiding.

The pipeline, which occupies 35.293 hectares of land, runs through the Oviri-Olomu Community. Arumala was apprehended at a court in Orerokpe, located in Okpe Local Government Area, while attending to an unrelated legal matter. Following his arrest, he was initially taken to the Orerokpe Division before being transferred to Abuja for further investigation and potential prosecution.

Peter Edariese, a community leader and former chairman of the Delta State Branch of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), confirmed Arumala’s arrest during a press conference in Udu Local Government Area. Edariese stated that the arrest stemmed from a petition he submitted to the Inspector-General of Police in 2019.

In his statement, Edariese called for thorough investigations and expressed hope that all individuals involved would be brought to justice. He emphasized the need for accountability to ensure that the Oviri-Olomu Community benefits from its natural resources, urging that the community should not remain in a state of economic oppression.

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