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Operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder have destroyed an illegal refining site in the creeks of Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Conducting journalists around the site on Wednesday, the Commander of the NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Desmond Igbo, estimated the capacity of the refinery at over a million litres.
The Commander explained the extent of the operation which he said steals crude from the wellhead to the illegal reservoir.
“This is NNPC OML-18 being managed by NNPC and Sahara. You can see how these criminals went over there and rigged a hose, that hose is almost 18 inches from the oil well head. They rigged it from there,” Igbo stated.
“You can see the crude flowing down to where they have their reservoir and constructed illegal refinery where they cook it. This is economic sabotage to the Nigerian economy.”
He stated that the Nigerian Navy is canvassing the support of local communities in fighting the menace, adding that no arrests have been made so far.
Lamenting the involvement of youths in the illegal oil bunkering, Igbo urged the paramount chiefs and leaders in the area to call their youths to order.
“When we come with our gunboats, they ran away. But we are still going to trace them and trace those who are sponsoring them.
“They cannot just come here without having big people behind them. We will put down our intelligence and make sure we trace their sponsors,” he added.
The tanks were destroyed with the help of a swamp buggy, while the illegal hose is clamped by the technicians.
The fight against crude oil theft in the Niger Delta is an ongoing battle between security agencies and economic saboteurs.
