From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Troops of 63 Brigade, Nigerian Army in conjunction with other security agencies have sustained the onslaught against illegal refining sites, located along the fringes of River Niger, bordering Ndokwa East and Ndoni Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Delta and Rivers States respectively.
The operation was conducted, following credible intelligence on the monumental level of criminality going on in the area.
Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, in a statement, yesterday, said during the operation, several items were confiscated and destroyed.
These items included: eight cooking pots, three storage tanks, three massive storage dugouts as well as 12 feeders.
Others were: three cooking drums, an extensive network of pipes and hoses, and over 2,000 litres of crude in a metallic oven, among others.
Danjuma said, while combing the general area to effectively deny the criminal elements freedom of action, troops confiscated two wooden boats, loaded with condensates estimated to be over 10,000 litres abandoned by the fleeing criminals in the creeks.
He said the boats have been handled in line with the mandate of Operation Delta Safe in the region.
The APR disclosed that in Rivers State, troops of 5 Battalion arrested eight suspects, along Orashi River, Obiafu in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state.
The suspects were arrested with motorcycles conveying condensates estimated to be over 2,000 litres.
“Relatedly, troops of 29 Battalion while maintaining vigilance at Imo River identified and destroyed nine more illegal refining sites. The sites housed over 15,000 litres of illegally refined products. The suspects have been handed over to relevant agency for prosecution.”
The 6 Division, Nigerian Army, urged members of the public, particularly the adjoining communities where the criminalities thrive, to report the criminal activities going on in their domain to security agencies.