TWENTY Ghanaians, operating alongside six of their Nigerian counterparts, have been apprehended by men of the military Joint Task Force for illegal bunkering.
According to Brigadier-General Tukur Buratai, who is the Commander of the Task Force’s Sector II, the task force also destroyed seven barges loaded with crude oil.
General Barutai said that the barges were impounded in September at Abonnema, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, the second of two states that make up the Sector II command.
Although the quantity of crude detained by the JTF is yet to be confirmed, Buratai informed journalists that the culprits have been handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps for prosecution.
“There were some arrests and they have all been handed over to the Civil Defense for prosecution,” he said, adding that the detained barges had been operating in the area for some time, exploiting the shadow of the creeks to evade detection by law enforcement.
“These barges have been operating within this area. They take advantage of the creeks, the difficult terrain, to sneak into the area and then steal the crude oil.
‘’But, luck ran out for them, we were able to intercept them.’’
The officer said that military gunboats are not able to navigate the waters of the creeks efficiently, thereby making it difficult to patrol the area.
He however expressed pride in the success so far recorded in the area.