Five suspected oil thieves have been arrested by operatives of the Nigerian Army 6 division, as forty six illegal refineries were deactivated in Ogba/Egbema local government area of Rivers state. This was disclosed in a statement by the Acting Deputy Director of the Nigerian Army 6 division Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah.
According to him, boats used to ferry stolen products and thousands of litres of stolen products were recovered in the remote creeks by operatives of the Nigerian Army. The operation was said to have been successful as a result of intelligence gathering, as the Army engaged armed vandals in a shootout before arresting the suspects.
Stolen crude oil packaged in sacks was also confiscated, while operational illegal refineries sites were deactivated and destroyed in line with professional best practices according to the military. Meanwhile, the General Officer Commanding 6 division Nigerian Army Major General Jamal Abdulsalam has reassured that the division will continue to conduct operations to safeguard critical national infrastructures in the Niger Delta region.
