The Federal Government has said it would start conducting deoxyribonucleic acid finger-printing of the country’s crude oil to apprehend criminals at the end of the year.

Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, made this known during the inauguration of an ultra-modern Bio-Resources Laboratory and Feeding Mill Complex in Odi, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

He said once the facilities are ready, oil theft will become a thing of the past.

The minister said, “I feel very happy with this ultra modern laboratory. For me, Nigeria is changing. With this capacity here now, we will be able to do many things.

“I just gave them instruction that by the end of this year, we should have finger-printing of our crude oil.

”With this measure, if anybody steals our crude oil, the government will be able to identify it, because even crude oil can have fingerprints and with the equipment we have here, we can do it in Nigeria.”

Azeez