Navy destroyed 7 illegal refineries in 2 days

The Naval patrol team deployed by NNS PATHFINDER, has, again, arrested two barges at Taraba Jetty in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for alleged involvement in illegal oil bunkering.

In a statement signed by the Director of Information, Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Christian Ezekobe, one of the arrested barges had about 70,000 litres of suspected illegally refined AGO while the other was carrying a mixture of AGO and water.

Additionally, he said the patrol team arrested another barge conveying about 200 MT of suspected illegally refined AGO at Owogoro Jetty in Port Harcourt.

In a related development, the patrol teams deployed by NNS DELTA for daily patrols have continually secured shipping in and out of Warri axis. However, in the course of the patrol, the patrol team discovered and destroyed two illegal refineries together with an estimated 120MT of products suspected to be illegally refined AGO and another 20MT of stolen crude oil at Bikpoku Creek/Asigbo Creek in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

“Additionally, another patrol team from NNS DELTA discovered and destroyed five illegal refineries with about 100MT of combined products at KO Creek in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, bringing to seven the number of illegal refineries destroyed in the area in the last two days.

“In view of the importance of this operation in the economic prosperity of the nation, you are please requested to disseminate this information for the awareness of the general public,’’the statement read in part.