Navy destroys ‘hidden’ illegal refineries in Delta

The Nigeria Navy says it has destroyed some hidden illegal refineries in Burutu Local Council Area of Delta State.

Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Central Command, Real Admiral Saidu Garuba, led the operation for their destruction.

He said the refineries were located in a camp in Chanomi creeks to deter interference, as it was hidden in a thick mangrove forest where no naval boat could reach.

He disclosed that the camp is the biggest ever-improvised reservoir tank for stolen crude that they had seen.

Garuba revealed that the reservoir, which was constructed by digging a large square hole and laying waterproof materials on the walls, was capable of holding over 120,000 litres of crude oil.

He added that it was also used to store stolen crude from nearby pipelines that crisscross the Chanomi creeks.

The flag officer disclosed that its men had to deploy a ‘swamp boogie’ to create a way into the camp.

He explained that the camp had many refining points and various quantities of refined products, which they smashed and later set on fire.

Garuba said the Commanding Officer, NNS Delta, Commodore Ibrahim Dewu, and naval personnel from the Escravos command accompanied them on the operation.

He explained: “This camp is well hidden, it took us many hours to get here, and we were able to locate this place through intelligence, because we have a team that is going round to fish out places like this.

“We first discovered this place in April and we destroyed the contrivances that they were using. But, after that time, they had comeback to rebuild the place and started producing the illicit products.”

He added that the operators get crude oil for their illegal activities by cutting the pipelines and connecting long pipes to sustain supply.

“ But, this time, we used the swamp boogie to destroy the whole metal work that they had built. The idea is that it would take them a long time to rebuild the place, or return to the site,” he said.

He lamented that the damage that the activities of illegal refiners have done to the environment was irreversible.

The flag officer revealed that the perpetuators, who ran away on sighting the naval personnel, set other camps on fire to dissuade them from moving further.

Garuba explained that the war against illegal refineries would continue until the scourge is wiped out, adding that nothing would deter the navy from achieving its mission.