Troops of the Nigerian Army 6 Division, Port Harcourt have uncovered over 40 dug-out wells manually “drilled” by oil thieves, containing crude oil in Rumuekpe community, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The wells which can easily be mistaken for producing water rather curiously contain crude oil and are mostly 12 by 12 ft both in dimension and about 40 ft deep.
According to the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division Army Headquarters, Port Harcourt, Major General Jamal Abdussalam, who led a sweep and clear operation on the Trans Niger Delta Pipeline (TNP), the Wednesday’s discovery was the latest technique employed by oil thieves to siphon crude oil in the area.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the operation, Major General Abdussalam described the discovery as a new dimension and an eye-opener in the war against oil theft and illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta region.
He explained the latest technique saying that oil thieves in the area had adopted a technique of digging deep into the ground until they reached crude oil, adding that it is another scope to the fight against oil theft.
The GOC said; “We have been conducting an operation in the past two days with the aim to clear the trans-Niger Delta Pipeline because we have been receiving complaints from SPDC of breaches on the TNP (Trans Niger Delta Pipeline) and based on that we decided to conduct an operation to sweep and clear the pipeline.
“It was on the course of that operation, we came to this particular location and you journalists have seen what we have seen. If you are not here, you may not believe what we are seeing. In this area, our troops have discovered more than 40 dugouts and these dugouts are not meant to access pipelines, they are dug out directly into the ground like well and surprisingly they have access to crude oil. This is the first time I’ve seen this type of thing”.
“You can see all around us are pits and very deep, you will need ladders to have access into it and at the bottom is crude oil, so they are just fetching crude just like water from a well”.
Major General Abdussalam added, “This is very sad and with this, we have discovered a new dimension to oil theft, it is entirely a new dimension. This is not an issue of pipeline vandalism, this one is digging directly into the ground and having access to these resources.”
He said he would inform the authorities of the development, adding that troops would be permanently stationed at the site to halt the activities of the criminals.
“I will bring this to the attention of the relevant authorities to this site so that they can come and see what can be done, but in the meantime, our men would be deployed so that we can stop people from accessing the area because it is even dangerous to the people involved in this because a little fire will kill everyone conducting this dastardly act.
“It is also not good for the system, see how the whole place has been dugged out. It is also very dangerous for people who are not even aware of this because they can come blindly at night and fall inside this pit and that is the end. We would do the needful, we would not get tired until we rid this area of these criminals,” the GOC stated.
He confirmed the arrest of some culprits at the site, saying that they were in custody and expected to give useful information that would lead to the arrest of others involved in the illegal and dangerous act.
One of the arrested suspects narrated their mode of operation saying the operation site is owned by some sections of the community and that they were paid N40,000 for each well dug.
He said: “How we dig to get oil is that sometimes, a place like here, we dig here like 10 to 15 feet before we see gas. When we dig it and notice that the gas is rising, if we do not run out on time people might suffocate and die. Some we bring them out half dead but the unlucky ones die. When we bring them out we pour them water and give them coke. So after the gas comes out, the oil will come out. And another set will come to fetch it after we have finished digging it”.