Troops of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, have sustained the crackdown against oil thieves across the Niger Delta Region (NDR), destroying seven illegal refineries and seizing 109,000 litres of stolen products.
The Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lt.Col. Danjuma Jonah Danjuma confirmed the development in a statement on Monday.
Danjuma said out of the confiscated products, 88,000 litres were stolen crude oil while 21,355 litres were illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO) adding that the total cost of the products recovered amounted to over N150m.
He said the operations conducted in Rivers State around Okolomade in Ahoada West Local Government Area (LGA) led to the deactivation of three illegal refining sites and recovery of three big pots, four big receivers and three big coolants, with over 40,000 litres of stolen crude and 20,000 litres of illegally refined AGO.
He said at the fringes of the Imo River, troops discovered three illegal refining sites, eight drum pots, seven drum receivers, one fibre boat and over 14,700 litres of stolen crude around Asa, Obeakpo, Lekuma and Abiama in Oyigbo LGA.
Danjuma said following credible intelligence, troops stormed a compound at Abuloma in Okrika LGA and discovered about 1,050 sacks filled with over 32,000 litres of stolen crude.
“At Abonnema Creek in Akuku-Toru LGA, troops intercepted a Cotonou boat loaded with 25 sacks filled with over 1,000 litres of illegally refined AGO”, he said.
Danjuma said in Akwa Ibom State, troops conducted a raid on a suspected storage facility at Ikot Akpan, Ekparakwa along the Abak–Ikot Abasi road in Abak LGA.
“During the operations, over 520 litres of illegally refined AGO stored in a drum and ten jerricans, as well as several empty jerricans, were recovered”, he said.
In Delta State, he said the troops conducted an operation at DAEWOO yard within Ekpan area in Uvwie LGA, but that on sighting troops, the suspected oil thieves fled into nearby creeks with wooden boats loaded with jerricans.
Danjuma explained that the troops also discovered three 25-litre jerricans filled with 75 litres of crude oil.
While commending the troops for their resilience, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj.- Gen. Emmanuel Eric Emekah, charged them to sustain the tempo in ensuring that economic saboteurs were effectively denied freedom of action in the NDR.
The GOC also called on the good people of the region to continue supporting military operations by providing credible intelligence on the activities of criminal elements in their domain.
