Military Seizes Over 250,000 Litres of Stolen Crude, Dismantles Illegal Refineries
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Military Seizes Over 250,000 Litres of Stolen Crude, Dismantles Illegal Refineries
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Armed Forces of Nigeria have intensified their crackdown on crude oil theft, recovering more than 251,000 litres of suspected stolen petroleum products and destroying illegal refining sites in the Niger Delta.
The Defence Headquarters, DHQ announced the development on Friday during its weekly briefing on military operations nationwide.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, said troops of Operation Delta Safe dismantled three reactivated illegal refining sites in the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni area of Rivers State during coordinated operations.
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He said troops recovered about 61,000 litres of petroleum products, including 43,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and 18,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil concealed in dugout pits.
The military further uncovered 85,300 litres of crude oil products in the same axis on August 5 before discovering another 105,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil during an offensive operation in Oteghele, Delta State, on August 6.
According to Onoja, troops also rescued 11 kidnapped commuters along the Lagos-Benin Road in Edo State after pursuing the abductors into the forest.
He said the Armed Forces would continue to target oil thieves and criminal syndicates threatening Nigeria’s economy while sustaining pressure on terrorists and kidnappers nationwide.
