The Joint (Military) Task Force in the
Niger Delta says it has arrested 29 alleged oil thieves and destroyed
127 illegal refineries in the Niger Delta. Read more
In a statement on Sunday, JTF spokesman,
Lt.-Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the suspects were arrested during the
series of anti-oil-theft operations between September 16 and September
28. He added that the 29 suspects were currently undergoing preliminary
investigations and would soon be handed over to relevant prosecuting
agencies.
Nwachukwu explained that in Bayelsa
State, troops of 343 Regiment of the JTF in Southern Ijaw Local
Government Area clamped down on 98 illegal crude oil distillation sites.
He said the sites were operating with
119 illegal distillation tanks and 37 large open wooden boats (Cotonou
boats) laden with stolen crude oil and illegally-distilled Automated Gas
Oil.
He said in a separate operation, troops
of 29 Battalion and the Gun Boat Patrol Company, arrested a barge with
three crew and a vessel christened MT Tora Eagle with 11 crew members in
Bodo waterways and Akassa creek in Rivers and Bayelsa states
respectively.
Nwachukwu said, “The barge was
intercepted while conveying some quantity of illegally sourced crude
oil, while the vessel was laden with 3,600 drums of stolen petroleum
product.
“The troops also scuttled five illegal
crude oil distillation sites and 10 Cotonou boats filled with stolen
crude oil along Lewe, Bodo, Elem Sagangama, Oluwasiri and Bodo West in
Rivers State.”
He said the outfit’s Operation Pulo
Shield, 19 and 3 Battalions’ troops covering Edo and Delta states
scuttled 24 illegal oil distillation camps and 73 Cotonou boats.
He said 31 of such boats were
intercepted at an illegal crude oil loading point close to an abandoned
oil well in Warri North, while 27 of the arrested boats were intercepted
in Egara creek along NNPC pipeline in Warri South Local Government
Area.
Nwachukwu added, “The operation also
swept through Ajide, Lagos; Makara, Egwu Aghara watersides in
Warri-North, Warri North-West, Warri South West and Ethiope West Local
Government areas of Delta, where oil stealing was also found to be
thriving.
“The outfit intercepted 61 pieces of 75
HP speed boats and a truck laden with 33,000 litres of AGO while they
were still lifting the stolen products. 502 drums, 22 steel tanks, four
plastic surface tanks, 77 metal drums laden with stolen crude oil and
illegally distilled AGO and four pumping machines used by the oil
thieves were also seized during the operations.”
by Simon Utebor, Yenagoa
CULLED FROM PUNCH NEWSPAPER
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