Intercepts trucks laden with stolen crude in Delta

Troops of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, in a major crackdown on economic sabotage, have uncovered massive dumps of illegally refined products worth over 200,000 litres in Bayelsa and Rivers States.

According to Lt. Colonel Danjuma Jonah, Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, the operation resulted in the arrest of four suspects, Freedom Effiong, Behaviour Power, Timothy Onyebuchi, and Loveth Ifeanyi, who will be handed over to relevant agencies for prosecution.

He said that troops intercepted over 33,000 litres of illegally refined products in Rivers State, as they traced an interconnected hose from Indorama (Eleme Petrochemicals) pipeline.

Also, troops deployed at Cawthorne Channel 1, in conjunction with other security agencies, successfully deactivated one illegal refining site with over 5,500 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude. The site was close to Well Head 8, behind Glisten Community in Degema Council, Rivers State.

Jonah added that the army also recovered several items, including two pumping machines, a long hose, and 11 drums used to perpetrate the illegal act in the area.

The breakthrough, according to Lt Col. Jonah, is part of the army’s renewed effort to clamp down on economic saboteurs and their collaborators.

He also noted that In Bayelsa State, a discovery was made at Dasaba Creek, where one illegal refining site, one oven and a massive metal reservoir containing products suspected to be stolen crude oil estimated at over 110000 litres was uncovered.

The army chief also disclosed that troops of the 16 Brigade, Nigerian Army, intercepted a truck with Reg No Delta UDH 983 XR along Elebele-Emeyal Road, in Ogbia Local Council of Bayelsa State.

Jonah noted that the truck was also laden with over 30,000 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude oil.
In a similar development, the army chief noted that troops of 63 Brigade, Nigerian Army, while on routine patrols, successfully intercepted trucks laden with products suspected to be stolen crude in Delta State.

According to him, the arrest was made at Seplat Energy Nigeria Ltd’s trunkline, Mosogar, adding that during the operation, the truck was discovered to have over 30, 000 litres of stolen products.

He disclosed that the trucks had been handled in line with the subsisting mandate of Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) in the Niger Delta region.

These feats are the results of the renewed effort by troops to effectively clamp down on economic saboteurs and their collaborators.