Metro
Military destroys 84 illegal refinery sites in Niger Delta
The Defence Headquarters has announced that the military has destroyed 84 illegal refinery sites and denied stealing N943.16 million worth of crude oil in the Niger Delta region.
Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, stated that the military has made significant progress in the fight against crude oil theft and illegal refining.
“We are not yet where we want to be in terms of daily crude oil production, but troops will sustain the renewed vigor and momentum till crude oil production target is achieved and exceeded,” Buba said.
According to Buba, troops have discovered and deactivated 84 illegal refining sites, denied the siphoning of crude oil valued at N943.16 million, and recovered various items including weapons, ammunition, and vehicles. “Troops recovered 920,800 litres of stolen crude oil, 88,760 litres of illegally refined AGO, and 7,500 litres of PMS,” he added.
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Buba also stated that the military has neutralized 147 terrorists, arrested 404 criminal elements, and rescued 113 kidnapped hostages across the country. “Troops neutralized 81 terrorists, arrested 52 suspects, and rescued 34 kidnapped hostages in the North East,” he said.
Furthermore, Buba emphasized that the military is working decisively to address insecurity and ensure the safety of citizens.
“We are constantly assessing our actions, adjusting and amending our operations in order to annihilate terrorist across. Accordingly, troops are working decisively to kill the terrorist, stop the insecurity, and ensure the safety of citizens across the country,” he said.
He also urged the public to support the military’s efforts in wiping out insecurity in the nation. “Winning the war depends not only on the military, weapons, and finances. It also largely depends on the people. Together we can make an extra ordinary difference in wiping out insecurity in our nation,” Buba added.
In addition, Buba stated that the military has recovered various items including weapons, ammunition, and vehicles.
“Troops recovered 74 assorted weapons, 3,498 assorted ammunition, comprising one dushka, one RPG bomb, one RPG charger, 42 AK47 rifles, 10 fabricated rifles, 13 dane guns, one FN rifle, one revolver pistol, one locally made pistol, 27 magazines, one AK47 dummy rifle, one AK47 top cover, and one baofeng radio,” he said.
Buba emphasized that the military is committed to ensuring the safety and security of citizens and will continue to work tirelessly to address insecurity in the nation.
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