Troops of the Nigerian Army 6 Division, Port Harcourt, have uncovered over 40 dugout wells containing crude oil in Rumuekpe Community, Emohua Local Council of Rivers State.
The wells, which mostly were 12 by 12 in both width and length sizes, had about 40 feet in depth, which was said to be the latest technique employed by oil thieves to siphon crude oil in the area.
The troops uncovered the site, yesterday, during a sweep and clear operation on the Trans Niger Delta Pipeline, led by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division Army Headquarters, Port Harcourt Barracks, Major General Jamal Abdussalam.
Speaking shortly after the operation, General Abdussalam said that the discovery is a new dimension and an eye-opener in the war against oil theft and illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta region.
The GOC revealed that oil thieves in the area had invented a technique of digging deep into the ground until they reached the crude oil, adding that it is another scope to the fight against oil theft.
He said: “We have been conducting this operation in the past two days. The aim was to clear the Trans-Niger Delta pipeline, because we have been receiving complaints from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of breaches on the Trans Niger Delta Pipeline.”
