By Augustine Aminu with agency reports
Troops of “Operation Delta Safe’’ discovered and destroyed 23 illegal refining sites and apprehended 42 suspected oil thieves in the Niger Delta in the last fortnight.
Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Musa Danmadami, made this known on Thursday in Abuja at the bi-weekly news briefing on the operations of the armed forces.
“Troops also conducted patrols and buggy operations in the zone during which several illegal refineries, storage tanks, wooden boats, coking ovens, dug out pits were destroyed.
“Cumulatively, within the two weeks in review, troops discovered and destroyed 23 illegal refining sites, 87 wooden boats, seven speed boats, 284 storage tanks, 160 coking ovens, three fibre boats and 18 dugout pits.
“Troops also recovered 2.5 litres of crude oil, 133,824 litres of diesel and 7,000 litres of kerosene.
“Also recovered were 16 tankers, one vessel, eight pumping machines, and two motorcycles.
“Forty-two criminals were arrested during the operations.
“All recovered items and apprehended criminals were handed over to the appropriate authorities for further action,’’ Danmadami said.
He said that troops continued to sustain aggressive patrols to curb crude oil theft and illegal bunkering within the Nigeria maritime environment to ensure the economic prosperity of the country.
He said troops also nabbed three suspected oil thieves who were tracked and monitored to Adige, Urhiakpa and Mission Road in Sapele Local Government Area of Delta on Oct. 6.
It was during the execution of “Operation Octopus Grip’’, he said.
He added that troops also impounded a vessel, MT DEIMA, with capacity to hold 1500 tonnes of crude oil for illegal bunkering at Sara area of Escravos Channel on Oct. 7.
The troops arrested the vessel’s eight crew members.
Danmadami said the vessel had six tank compartments loaded with unspecified quantity of crude oil.
He said also that troops and other security agencies had not relented in efforts in the fight against criminal elements in the Southeast zone.
He added that troops of Operation AWATSE and operatives of the NDLEA and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps destroyed 15 hectares of Indian hemp at Mabu village in Ogun on Oct. 7.