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The Nigerian Navy Ship, Pathfinder, said on Wednesday it uncovered and seized a private residence converted into an illegal refinery in the Okwuzi community of the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Navy said over 200,000 litres of illegally-refined Automotive Gas Oil, popularly known as diesel, was confiscated in the apartment.
The Navy said three suspects, including the owner of the building, were arrested during the operation.
The Commander, NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Desmond Igbo, disclosed this to newsmen in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, after leading a military team to the illegal refining site.
Igbo said the illegally-refined product was siphoned from pipelines and bagged in sacks and several tanks in the compound.
He stated that the discovery followed the mandate of the Chief of Naval Staff to all Naval formations to combat crude oil theft and related vices in the Niger Delta region.
Igbo said, “My men at the Nigerian Navy Ship, Pathfinder, through credible intelligence, were able to discover this place. The whole of this compound is being used as an illegal refining site.
“You will recall that the Nigerian Navy, a few weeks ago, relaunched the third phase of Operation Delta Sanity, which is aimed at halting crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, and sanitising the region from the menace of illegal oil bunkering and other related activities.
“This illegally-refined product here is massive; some it is bagged in sacks, some in drums and over 62 tanks are filled up.
“We have over 200, 000 litres of illegal products refined from crude oil siphoned or stolen from the pipelines.
“This is too bad; it is not good for our economy. This is pure economic sabotage.”
Igbo said the prime suspect and owner of the building had been arrested alongside one of his boys.
“We have made arrests, the owner of this compound, being the person doing this illicit business, has been arrested with one of his boys. Efforts are still on to arrest everyone who is involved in this criminal act.
“The Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder is determined to apprehend them wherever they are, both in the water and on the land.
“The Nigerian Navy, under the able leadership of Vice-Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, has given us the mandate to end crude oil theft in our areas of operations.
“We are poised and determined to achieve that so that Nigeria’s oil output will increase and meet the OPEC quota of at least 2.5 barrels per day, “ he added.
The NNS Pathfinder commander said the suspects would be handed over to prosecuting agencies, while the compound would be sealed till further notice.
Igbo advised youths in the region to engage themselves in meaningful activities and shun being used as tools to sabotage the nation’s economy.
