Mohammed Shosanya
Operatives of the Nigerian Army, 6 Division, have uncovered massive illegal bunkering sites in Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states, confiscating over 200,000 litres of illegally refined petroleum products.
The action led to the arrest of four suspects, identified as Freedom Effiong, Behaviour Power, Timothy Onyebuchi, and Lovet Ifeanyi, soon to be handed over to relevant agencies for prosecution.
Troops of the Division also intercepted over 33,000 litres of illegally refined products being siphoned into a tank, via an interconnected hose from Indorama (Eleme Petrochemicals) pipeline in Rivers State
A statement signed by the Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, disclosed that operatives deployed to Cawthorne Channel 1,close to Well Head 8, behind Glisten Community in Degema LGA, Rivers State, in conjunction with other security agencies successfully deactivated a massive illegal refining site with over 5,500 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude.
According to Danjuma,the army following the operation, recovered several items including, two pumping machines, a long hose, and eleven drums, used to perpetrate criminality in the area, adding that the army’s breakthroughs were consequent upon its renewed effort to clamp down on economic saboteurs and their collaborators.
He noted that a similar feat was achieved in Dasaba Creek,Bayelsa State, where one Illegal Refining Site, one oven and a massive metal reservoir containing products suspected to be stolen crude oil estimated at over 110,000 litres was uncovered.
He added that operatives of 16 Brigade, Nigerian Army, also intercepted a truck with Registration number Delta UDH 983 XR along road Elebele-Emeyal in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, ladened with over 30,000 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude.
This was as troops of the Army 63 Brigade, successfully intercepted trucks ladened with over 30,000 litres of stolen petroleum products in Delta State, during routine patrols at SEPLAT Energy Nigeria Limited trunkline, Mosogar, during the operation.
Lt. Col Danjuma,who noted that the trucks were handled in line with the subsisting mandate of Operation Delta Safe in the Niger Delta region, urged members of the public to provide actionable intelligence on the activities of the economic saboteurs in their vicinity to security agencies.