In continuation of the anti-crude oil theft operations of the Nigerian Navy in the Niger Delta, patrol teams deployed by the Service have raided and destroyed
more illegal bunkering and refinery sites. This is even as the Nigerian Navy has intensified patrol of the maritime areas of the country in order to deter any form of security beaches and threats.
This was disclosed by the Director of Information, Commodore Christian Ezekobe, in a statement made available to news men today.
The statement noted that on the 16th November 2016, the patrol team deployed by Forward Operating Base (FOB) Formoso in Bayelsa State arrested MV MIDES 2 and 2 other Cotonou boats for alleged illegal bunkering activities at Sonikiri Community in Nembe LGA of Bayelsa State. MV MIDES 2 was while arrested carrying out transfer of suspected illegally refined AGO to the Cotonou boats.
The statement reads in part, “In another raid, on 18 Nov 2016, the patrol team deployed by NNS PATHFINDER in Rivers State destroyed an illegal refinery site containing about 70,000 litres of stolen crude oil and 40,000 litres of illegally refined AGO at Bille Creek in Rivers State”.
“Similarly the patrol team deployed by NNS DELTA arrested 4 persons onboard a Cotonou boat laden with suspected stolen crude oil on the Forcados River. This feat is in addition to an earlier raids conducted by the operatives in which a Cotonou boat laden with about 15 metric tones (MT) of product suspected to be crude oil was destroyed at Benneth Island in Delta State”.the statement reads.