Several
illegal crude oil refineries in Bagama, Asari Toru Local Government
Area of River State were yesterday destroyed by the Nigerian Navy Ship
Pathfinder, in Port Harcourt, the State capital.
The Nigerian Navy on Sunday said that it had begun mopping up of
newly discovered illegal refineries which had combined capacity to
produce thousand litres of petroleum products daily.
The Commander, NNS Pathfinder Port Harcourt, Commodore Shuwa Mohammed, represented by Cdr. Chidi Ejiofor, Pathfinder’s Base Operation Officer, made this known in Port Harcourt.
Mohammed spoke after taking newsmen on aerial and land surveillance of the newly discovered modular refineries in Rivers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that several illegal
refineries hidden under tick shed of the Mangrove forest were sighted
during the aerial surveillance with the environment polluted.
He said the mop up was aimed at putting an end to colossal damage to the environment by activities of oil thieves, who were puncturing pipelines to obtain crude oil illegally.
"The mop up ordered by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm Ibok-Ette Ibas, is part of a series of operations lined up to end incessant crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
"During our aerial surveillance recently, several new illegal refineries were sighted with their positions in latitude and longitude obtained prompting troops mobilisation.
"During our operation on Sunday, an illegal refinery with 15 storage metallic tanks loaded with 145,000 litres of stolen crude oil was set ablaze in Buguma, Asari Toru Local Government in Rivers."
Mohammed said that more than 50,000 litres of illegally refined diesel stored in 10 cooking tanks were also destroyed. He said that a metallic badge and dump which had capacity to store thousands of petroleum products was also destroyed during the raid.
