The Nigerian Navy has in continuation of the ‘Operation Zero Crude Oil Theft (Zero COT)’, has destroyed more illegal refineries in the Niger Delta region and arrested 11 crude oil thieves.
The Director of Defence Information (DINFO), Commodore Christian Ezekobe, in a statement yesterday, said the patrol team deployed by Forward Operation Base (FOB) Escravos in Delta State conducted several raids on illegal refinery sites around Jones, Sara and Oporoza Creeks in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State. Ezekobe said during the raids, the team arrested 11 suspects and destroyed 13 ‘Cotonou’ boats laden with suspected stolen crude oil.
He said the team also recovered two speed boats and a Cotonou boat carrying 20 tanks of different capacities measuring a total of 160,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas oil (AGO). He listed other items recovered from the criminals to include six outboard engines and four pumping machines. Ezekobe stated that in a similar operation conducted by NNS PATHFINDER in Rivers State, patrol teams intercepted and destroyed some speed boats and several drums of illegally refined AGO mostly around Onne in Rivers State.
“Specifically, six speed boats conveying about 30 drums of various sizes laden with illegally refined diesel were destroyed between September 10 and 11, 2016,” he added. s1-71-71The naval spokesman noted that the arrested suspects are being interrogated and would be handed over to the appropriate prosecuting agency for further action.
