Navy destroys illegal refineries, arrests 37 miners in Niger Delta
The Nigerian Navy has destroyed an illegal refining refineries and arrested 37 miners and as part of ongoing operations against crude oil theft and economic sabotage in the Niger Delta.
The Nigerian Navy has destroyed an illegal refining refineries and arrested 37 miners and as part of ongoing operations against crude oil theft and economic sabotage in the Niger Delta.
The arrests and destruction were carried out by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ships (NNS) Pathfinder and Soroh during operations in Rivers and Bayelsa states under Operation Delta Sentinel, Director of Naval Information (DINFO), Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said yesterday.
He said a patrol team from NNS Pathfinder discovered an illegal refinery site along the Alakiri River in the Ojekiri general area of Rivers State during an anti-crude oil theft patrol.
The site contained about 10 dugout pits loaded with 45,000 litres of stolen crude oil. The illegal facility and the stored crude were destroyed in line with operational procedures, while suspects fled on sighting the naval personnel.
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Also, personnel of NNS Soroh, acting on credible intelligence and in line with the Bayelsa State government’s ban on black sand mining, arrested 37 suspected illegal miners at Anyama Jetty in Yenagoa, the state capital.
The suspects were intercepted while attempting to transfer black sand from a wooden boat into two trucks waiting at the jetty.
Folorunsho said the suspects, along with the trucks, the boat and the recovered mineral resources, were handed over to Operation Doo-Akpo, the Bayelsa State security outfit, for further investigation.
He noted that the operations align with the directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, for naval formations to intensify actions against crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other economic crimes within Nigeria’s maritime domain.
The Navy reiterated its commitment to sustaining Operation Delta Sentinel through intelligence-driven operations and collaboration with relevant stakeholders to protect the country’s economic assets.
