Operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, have discovered massive illegal refining site along Ogoloma-Bakana water route in Rivers State.
The site, which was discovered after a sustained intelligence and surveillance effort, was found to be using drums to refine stolen crude oil into automated gas oil (AGO) and other byproducts, a method that offers the oil thieves a tactical advantage due to the ease of construction and dismantling of the drums.
The operation, which is still ongoing, has already destroyed over 500 cooking drums containing over 200 liters of illegal refined AGO, amounting to over two million liters.
Speaking to journalists, NNS Pathfinder Commander, Commodore Cajethan Aniaku, said the site was capable of producing two million litres of petroleum products daily.
Aniaku warned that the Naval operatives will not rest until all illegal refining sites were destroyed, and urged the oil thieves to desist from their activities, stating that they will not be spared.
He said: “In line with the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla’s directive to clear NNS PATHFINDER area of operations of all illegal refining sites. This afternoon, we are around Akaso, Ogoloma area where we discovered a massive illegal refining site.
“Our personnel moved in here yesterday with swamp boogy. What we found out was quite revealing and striking in the sense that the oil thieves have moved away from the normal way of using metal frail pans to cook and refine illegal stolen crude oil to AGOs and other by-product. They are now using drums to do the refining and that offered them some tactical advantage in the sense that the drum cheaper to construct and very easy to dismantle.
“As the operation is still ongoing, they have destroyed over 500 drums containing over 200 litres of AGO amounting to over million litres of AGO. The operation is still ongoing and this site is capable of producing 2 millions barrels of AGO illegal refined products on daily basis, that is why we will not rest on our oars to see that we destroy these illegal refining sites appropriately.
“After this, we will continue because this is not the only place. We will keep on searching, for us to discover this, it took us over five days intelligence and surveillance effort because Ordinarily if it is a metal drum with drones and surveillance patrol we will be able to discover that.
“But now they do not do it, they will use drums, do the cooking, dismantle the drums and hide them. So we have to double our efforts to see that we are able to fish them out and clear all illegal refining sites. They should desist from doing that because we will not spare them.”
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