Troops of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army said they have intercepted a major illegal oil bunkering operation, with over 1980, 000 litres of stolen crude oil stored in a barge from the NNPCL flow station in Rivers State.
This was disclosed in a press statement issued on Monday by Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations for the 6 Division.
Danjuma noted that acting on credible intelligence, the soldiers swooped on three speedboats near Cawthorne Channel I, catching suspects in the act of siphoning crude oil from a barge at an NNPC flow station.
The operation led to the seizure of over 198,000 litres of stolen crude oil, the arrest of five suspects, and the confiscation of a barge, tugboat, and three speedboats used in the illegal activity.
According to him, the ongoing anti-oil theft operation is part of efforts to dismantle criminal networks in the Niger Delta region. He revealed that over 280,000 litres of crude oil had been recovered in the past week, along with the discovery of 63 illegal oil bunkering sites and 11 illegal connections.
” In Rivers State and neighbouring Abia State, soldiers uncovered four illegal oil connections in Isimiri and Obiakpu villages, located in Ukwa West Local Government Area (LGA). Similar discoveries were made in Owaza and Uzuaku villages in Ukwa South LGA.” The statement was disclosed.
Lt. Col. Danjuma stated that a boat carrying 3,000 litres of illegally refined products was confiscated, and an illegal refining site was dismantled.
Clearance operation around Imo River, targeting illegal refining sites in Okoloma, Obuzor, and other communities was also carried out. With a total of 42 illegal refining sites destroyed, alongside the recovery of 13,000 litres of stolen crude oil and numerous wooden boats and equipment used in the refining process, the operation is considered Kinetic, according to the statement.
The statement also disclosed that in operations at Alakiri in Okrika LGA, troops dismantled four illegal refining sites, destroying two ovens, storage tanks, and equipment used to siphon over 29,000 litres of stolen crude oil. In other operations across Omoku, Buguma, and Bukuma, additional illegal refining sites, cooking ovens, and reservoirs were destroyed, with thousands of litres of refined products recovered.
Bayelsa and Delta States are also not left out in the intense operations against crude oil theft, as similar operations yielded more arrests and destruction of illegal refineries the statement contained.
At Kaiama community in Bayelsa State, 1,400 litres of stolen products were found in the residence of a suspect, who has been handed over to authorities for prosecution.
Additionally, troops thwarted a gas pipeline vandalism attempt in Delta State’s Okpai community and destroyed an illegal refining site in Warri South LGA.
He disclosed that the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 6 Division and Commander of JTF land component Operation Delta Safe, Major General Jamal Abdussalam, assured that troops would continue to dismantle illegal oil bunkering networks across the Niger Delta, to ensure oil exploration and production remain unhindered.
He expressed optimism that no criminality would be allowed to thrive in the region.
