Over two billion naira in stolen petroleum products have been recovered by troops of operation DAKATAR DA BARAWO.
Major General Musa Danmadami, Director of Defence Media Operations, made this announcement at the biweekly briefing in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, stating that the briefing covered the period from October 20, 2022, to November 3, 2022.
General Danmadami said that “troops in the sustained fight against oil theft and maritime illegalities also discovered and destroyed 11 illegal refineries and 107 metal storage tanks, 5 wooden boats, 58 dugout pits, 38 ovens, 6 fibre boats, 28 reservoirs, 15 jerrycans, 2 pumping machines, 20,000 barrels of crude oil and 167,900 litres of Automotive Gas Oil”.
Oil thieves were denied a total of 54,547 barrels of crude oil, 817,900 litres of Automotive Gas Oil, 5,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, and 10,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosine in the weeks under review, totaling two billion, four hundred and thirty-five million, twenty-one thousand, three hundred forty-three Naira, and ninety-four Kobo (N2,435,021,343.94)
In a related development, troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation DELTA SAFE sustained pressure towards denying criminal elements freedom of action, essential to sustain a conducive environment for economic activities to thrive while ensuring relative peaceful environment and protection of oil and gas infrastructure in the general area all in the Southern part of the country.
According to him, the maritime and land component of Operation DELTA SAFE in the conduct of operation OCTOPUS GRIP, conducted operational activities at creeks, waterways, communities, villages, towns and cities within Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers States between 20 October – 2 November 2022.
Troops also recovered 34,547 barrels of crude oil, 650,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil, 5,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, 10,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosine, 7 pumping machines, 7 vehicles, 5 motorcycles, 1 double barrel gun, 2 live cartridges, and detained 5 pipeline vandals, he said.
General Danmadami stated that troops, in collaboration with operatives from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), located and raided the criminals’ location, arresting two Eastern Security Network criminal kingpins in Oyigbo in Rivers State’s Oyigbo Local Government Area.
