Operatives of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (NNFOB), in Bonny, Rivers State, have intercepted materials meant for construction of illegal refineries in the area.
NNFOB, in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP in Port Harcourt on Friday, said three persons were arrested at the point where the materials were intercepted.
The statement said the operation was in sustenance of its renewed effort against crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region under the auspices of Operation Delta Sanity.
It further said that the operation was carried out in the Cawthorne Channel area of Bonny, under the directive of the NNFOB Commanding Officer, Commodore Reginald Adoki.
The statement read in part: “In a decisive move against illegal bunkering activities, men of the Forward Operating Base, Bonny, on Wednesday, 7 February, 2024, intercepted a group of suspected criminals transporting metal sheets and rods intended to construct cooking ovens to refine stolen crude oil illegally.
“The metal sheets and rods confiscated during the operation are critical to constructing makeshift ovens for processing stolen crude oil.
“The items were intercepted during a patrol by the Base along the Cawthorne Channel in Degema LGA. The interception further led to the arrest of three individuals involved in the illicit trade.”
It further revealed that upon interrogation, the arrested suspects admitted that the items were meant to be employed to construct cooking ovens for an illegal refining site around the Cawthorne Channel.
The statement added: “In line with Standard Operating Procedures, the arrested suspects and exhibits have been handed over to the appropriate agency for further investigation and possible prosecution.
“It is worth mentioning that the patrol team also intercepted three large wooden boats and two small fibre boats laden with an estimated 20,500 litres of illegally refined automotive gas oil (AGO).”
