Operatives of the Bayelsa State Police Command have arrested three men over alleged tampering with a capped oil wellhead in Otuabagi community, Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.

The Command’s spokesman, DSP Musa Muhammed, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday. He said the incident was reported at about 7:35 a.m. on Thursday, November 12, 2026, and detectives attached to the Ogbia Police Division moved to the scene with members of the community’s Community Development Committee.

The three suspects were identified as Simeon Joshua Ezeke, Pere Thankgod and Gift Elijah. Police said they recovered tools believed to have been used in the alleged tampering, but did not specify what the tools were.

Three other suspects, named as Richard Johnbull, Ken and Nabhel Moses, reportedly fled the scene before the operatives arrived. DSP Muhammed said the police are searching for them and that an investigation has begun to establish the full circumstances of the incident and the role each person played.

The Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, CP Ajao Saka Adewale, warned residents against tampering with, damaging or interfering with public infrastructure and other valuable assets. He urged them to remain vigilant and to report suspicious activity promptly to the Command through its emergency lines. He added that the police would ensure all those involved were brought to justice.

Wellhead tampering and related oil theft remain a recurring security problem in the Niger Delta, where security agencies have carried out repeated arrests and raids in Bayelsa and neighbouring states.