The Nigerian Army 6 Division has announced the arrest of 21 oil thieves, the deactivation of 43 illegal refining sites, and the seizure of about 120,000 litres of illegally refined product in a continued crackdown against economic saboteurs and associated criminalities in the Niger Delta Region (NDR).
The arrests and seizures were made in separate operations conducted by troops of the Division, according to a statement signed by Lt. Col. Danjuma Jonah, Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations.
The statement says that in Bayelsa State, troops, in conjunction with other security agencies, arrested 12 pipeline vandals at Ojobo Community in Ekeremor LGA, Bayelsa State.
The suspects were arrested with a barge loaded with one swamp buggy, a tug boat, and several vandalised Shell Production Development Company (SPDC) pipes.
Likewise, at Obotoro Creek and Babrogbene in Southern Ijaw LGA, troops destroyed an illegal refining site and intercepted a wooden boat as well as a reservoir with over 5500 litres of stolen products. Other items recovered from the site included 2 drums of automotive gas oil, estimated to be 2800 litres.
It added that, in a related incident, one illegal refining site at Diebu Creek in Southern Ijaw with over 8000 litres was deactivated. The operations also yielded results around the Binikurukuru axis of Igbomtoru and Tebidaba communities in southern Ijaw, where one wooden canoe loaded with over 2000 litres was intercepted and one suspect arrested.
“In Rivers State, troops around Bille and Abiseni general areas in Degema and Akuku-Toru LGAs deactivated 5 illegal refining sites and three large storage points containing over 28000 litres of stolen crude, which have been handled appropriately.
“Also, troops conducting pipeline surveillance around oil wellheads at Cawthorne Channel I, II and III general areas in Degema LGA intercepted a wooden boat loaded with over 5000 litres of crude. This was in addition to the destruction of a large wooden boat hidden inside the creek, suspected to be used for criminal activities”, the Army said.
Lt. Col. Danjuma added; “Similarly, troops on routine patrol around Sama in Asari-Toru LGA destroyed one illegal refining site, one oven, 3 receivers, and one reservoir. At Odioku and Okoh in Eleme LGA, 2 illegal refining sites were destroyed, while over 2000 litres of stolen crude were confiscated.
“Additionally, 2 wooden boats hidden in the creeks along Egi and Nkissa, containing over 2000 litres of crude, were also recovered. Also, within Ogbogolo forest in Ahoada West, troops deactivated one illegal refining site with over 4000 litres of stolen crude. At the stretch of the Imo River, troops have scaled up operations that led to the deactivation of 12 illegal refining sites and the confiscation of several products.”
He said that in Delta State, one illegal refining site at Ikpemu Creek with over 5000 litres of stolen products has been deactivated accordingly. This is in addition to several illegal refining sites that were taken out with various products confiscated within the division’s area of responsibility.
He informed me that the vandals arrested would be handed over to the relevant agencies for prosecution.
While commending troops for their relentless efforts, the General Officer Commanding the 6th Division, Major General Jamal Abdussalam, charged them to scale up operations against economic sabotage and other crimes in order to establish conditions necessary for exploration activities to thrive in the region seamlessly.
He also reiterated warning criminal elements to embrace legitimate means of livelihood and desist from sabotaging the nation’s economy.
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