Troops destroy 34 illegal refineries, arrest suspected oil thieves in Niger Delta

Troops of Operation Delta Safe have destroyed 34 illegal refining sites and arrested 59 suspected criminals, including oil thieves, across the country.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday in Abuja.

He said the troops destroyed 38 dugout pits, 21 boats, 57 storage tanks, 10 vehicles, three tapping hoses, four drum receivers, 89 cooking ovens, six pumping machines and three outboard engines in the operations.

READ ALSO: Troops rescue seven more abducted varsity students, 3 construction workers in Zamfara

The troops, according to Buba, also recovered 696,250 litres of stolen crude oil, 54,400 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and 1,200 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), two motorcycles, four weapons and 78 assorted ammunitions.

The spokesman said: “Troops had maintained momentum against the activities of crude oil theft in Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and other states in the Niger Delta region and denied criminals freedom of action.

“In the South-East, troops of operation UDO KA conducted raids on terrorists’ hideouts, eliminated and arrested suspects in Abia, Enugu, Imo and Anambra States during the period.”

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