Navy Uncovers 15 Illegal Refineries With 2.7m Litres Capacity In Rivers

The Nigerian Navy has discovered 15 illegal refining sites with the capacity to process 2.7 million litres of crude oil per day in Rivers.

This revelation was made by the Commander, Nigeria Navy Ship Pathfinder, Port Harcourt, Commodore Desmond Igbo, when he led journalists to the illicit refining sites at the community in Degema 

He said this discovery was part of the ongoing Operation Delta Sanity, recently launched by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogala, to combat oil theft.

“The uncovering of the illegal refining camps was made in line with the renewed mandate to combat and eliminate crude oil theft from the country.

“Upon receiving the CNS mandate, troops were deployed, and they uncovered 15 illegal refining camps, each equipped with six cooking pots and metal storage tanks,”

Igbo further stated that the discovery of the illegal bunkering sites was a significant breakthrough in the Federal Government’s efforts to rid the country of oil thieves and economic saboteurs.

He said that Ogalla had given naval troops the marching order to end attacks on the nation’s oil and gas facilities and safeguard the maritime environment.

He expressed concerns that frequent vandalism of pipelines and wellheads had further polluted and damaged the environment.

Igbo said, however, that no arrests were made during the raid as the labourers in the illegal refineries fled the area on sighting the advancement of naval troops on several gunboats.