Navy discovers 15 illegal refineries in Rivers

The Nigerian Navy has discovered 15 illegal refineries with the capacity to process 2.7 million litres of crude oil per day in Rivers State.

The Commander of the Nigeria Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Port Harcourt, Commodore Desmond Igbo, disclosed this when he led journalists to the sites of the illegal refineries at Ke community in Degema on Friday.

He said that the troops discovered the sites as part of the ongoing Operation Delta Sanity recently launched by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogala, to combat oil theft in the South-South.

The commander said: “The uncovering of the illegal refining camps was made in line with the renewed mandate to combat and eliminate crude oil theft from the country.

“Upon receiving the CNS mandate, troops were deployed, and they uncovered 15 illegal refining camps, each equipped with six cooking pots and metal storage tanks.

“Each storage tank can hold about 30,000 litres of crude oil, culminating in about 2.7 million litres of crude oil illegally refined in the 15 sites.

READ ALSO: NAF destroys six illegal refineries in Rivers

“It’s unfortunate that unpatriotic Nigerians are stealing from the country, but we are here to stop these illegal activities from continuing.”

Igbo described the discovery of the sites as a significant breakthrough in the Federal Government’s efforts to rid the country of oil thieves and economic saboteurs.

“The oil thieves steal the crude oil from wellheads and then proceed to refine it into adulterated petroleum products for sale to unsuspecting members of the public.

“It is unfortunate that these illegal activities have continued, considering that crude oil is where Nigeria gets most of her revenue.

“But some unscrupulous citizens engage in this act of sabotaging the nation’s economy through their nefarious engagement in this criminal enterprise,” he added.

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