The General Officer Commanding, GOC, 6 Division, Nigeria Army, Port Harcourt, Maj.-Gen. Jamaal Abdussalam said the troops recovered about five million litres of stolen crude oil in Oyigbo, Rivers, on Wednesday.
He said troops got an intelligence report that uncovered a massive illegal refining site in a dense forest at the Kom-Kom community in Oyigbo, noting that the recovered oil product was valued at billions of naira.
Maj.-Gen. Abdussalam said “In continuation of our ongoing operations to dismantle all illegal refineries and illegal pipeline connections, on January 31, we received credible intelligence about the activities of oil thieves in Oyibo.
“Upon receiving the intelligence report, troops were deployed, and they raided the location (illegal refinery). At first, I thought we would not find anything considering the last raid we carried out in Odagwa, but we discovered massive illegal bunkering activities taking place there.”
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He stressed that the discovery of the illegal bunkering site was a significant milestone in the Federal Government’s efforts to rid the country of oil thieves and economic saboteurs.
The army officer added that during the raid on the illegal facility, we discovered over 15 boilers and nine reservoirs containing over five million litres of stolen crude oil reserved for processing.
“On our way here, we also found five large foreign (Cotonou) boats filled with 200 to 300 litres of crude oil each along the Imo River leading to the forest. Sadly, these illegal activities have continued despite efforts to curb them. However, we will persist until we bring an end to the menace,” he added.
He added that intelligence reports disclosed the involvement of oil thieves and pipeline vandals who were supported by individuals who are bent on undermining the government’s efforts, stressing that the troops had initiated actionable steps to curb illegal bunkering in Nigeria’s oil sites.
