The Nigerian Army has dismantled 23 illegal refineries and arrested 25 suspects during a large-scale anti-bunkering operation across Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states.
Lt.-Col. Danjuma Danjuma, spokesperson for the Nigerian Army’s 6 Division in Port Harcourt, announced this in a statement on Monday. He disclosed that soldiers also seized 14 boats transporting petroleum products and confiscated 45,000 liters of various adulterated petroleum products during the raids.
Danjuma revealed that the operation commenced on January 12 in Rivers State, where troops intercepted a tanker truck carrying over 15,000 liters of fake petroleum products along the Eneka-Tank stretch of the East-West Road in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area (LGA).
On the same day, troops deactivated seven illegal refining sites in the Karakarma area of Degema LGA, seizing four fiber boats and recovering 12,000 liters of stolen petroleum products. In Bille, also in Degema LGA, soldiers destroyed two illegal refineries, three receivers, and three large metallic cooking pots containing over 2,400 liters of refined products.
Additional items recovered during the operation included 7,000 liters of stolen petroleum products, several empty gallons, four hollow pipes, an unspecified number of motorcycles, and a boat used in the illicit activities.