Army troops arrest 15 alleged oil thieves, destroy 32 illegal refineries in Nig

Army troops arrest 15  alleged oil thieves, destroy 32 illegal refineries in Niger  Delta.

The Nigerian  army has announced the arrest of at least 15 suspects  for oil theft and illegal oil bunkering activities in the Niger Delta  region.
The announcement was made by the  spokesman of the  6th Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt,  Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Danjuma, in a statement  issued on  Monday.
Danjuma disclosed that 32 illegal artisanal refineries were destroyed and 14 boats  were seized  during operations carried out by  the troops between January 6 and 12 in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa,  Delta and Rivers  states.
He also revealed that the troops confiscated about 60,000  liters of various petroleum  products.
Operation River  State Fails
Danjuma noted that seven illegal refining sites were destroyed in Degema Local Government Area of  River State where the operation  began. 20,000 litres of crude oil  were seized. Two vessels destroyed
1,600 litres of crude oil and 1,200 litres of adulterated  oil were seized  at Nkisa in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni  Rivers Local Government  Area,
"We also  dismantled ten illegal refineries, several crude oil  boilers and  receivers and recovered about 19,000 litres of stolen petroleum products along the Imo  River.
"At Odagwa, Etche, our troops intercepted three boats carrying about 12,000 litres of stolen crude oil and arrested three suspects in the  process.
"Similar operations were carried out in Abiama, Asa, Obuzor, Okoloma, Ozaa,  Ukwa and  Oyigbo," he  added. Imo State
Ten illegal refineries  destroyed. 19,000 litres of  diesel stolen along Imo River
Bayelsa  State
Illegal refinery and  ship destroyed
1,500 litres of crude oil  seized. "In Baberegbene, Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa, our soldiers dismantled an illegal artisanal refinery and  seized a wooden boat carrying no fewer than 1,500 litres of stolen crude  oil.
"Similarly, an illegal  refinery site containing an  unspecified quantity of petroleum products was  shut down in Emago-Kugbo and Oluasiri communities in Nembe, Bayelsa," the  army spokesman said.
During their operations in Akwa Ibom and Delta, Danjuma said,  "the troops maintained a strong presence and effectively denied economic saboteurs the  freedom to  operate."
What you  need to know
Oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region are  hampering the growth  of Nigeria's oil and gas sector, costing the country billions of dollars  in revenue. However, the  threat of crude oil theft is being  combated by various operations including the Nigerian Army, the  Navy and private security companies contracted by the Federal  Government. President Bola Tinubu has pledged to increase Nigeria's crude oil  production from the current average of 1.5 million barrels per day to  over 2.5 million  barrels per day. Winning the  fight against oil theft is  essential to achieving this  goal.

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