Troops Arrest 379 Oil Thieves, Destroy 402 Illegal Refining Sites

The commander Joint Task Force of “Operation Delta Safe”, Rear Admiral JU Okeke, has narrated how activities of troops in the theatre reduced infractions on oil installations and called for the special trial of suspects to deter others.

Briefing journalists in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on the achievements of the JTF in the last six months, he said the troops arrested 379 suspected oil thieves who have been handed over to the appropriate prosecuting agencies.

Admiral Okeke said the JTF in the area conducts static deployments, escort duties and patrols around major oil and gas facilities within the joint area of operations (JOA) using troops from NA, NN, NAF, NPF and NSCDC.

“These deployments and patrols have drastically reduced infractions on such facilities,”.
Okeke who was represented by the maritime component commander, Commodore Adedokun Siyanbade, said the combined team deactivated 402 illegal refining sites,over 649 storage facilities and 417 large wooden boats.
He said troops also arrested 63 vehicles and 25 tanker trucks engaged in conveying illegally refined

products and were handled appropriately.
He said the joint force also recovered about 8,637,152 litres of crude oil and 1,038,825 litres of illegally refined AGO as well as about 24,525 litres of DPK and 125,440 litres of PMS from the criminals.

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“In the process of conducting these operations, 379 suspects were arrested in connection with various crimes.

The suspects and exhibits were handed over to appropriate prosecuting agencies for further action. While some of the arrested suspects were convicted, others are still undergoing trials in various courts of law. Nonetheless, the JTF will continue to sustain its anti-COT efforts until the crime is eliminated or reduced to the barest minimum,”.

The commander added that the Joint Force in the period under review recovered 74 illicit weapons from criminals, adding that arrangements are currently being made to hand over the same as directed to the appropriate authority.

Furthermore, the team on April 1, 2024 rescued nine kidnap victims earlier abducted on March 30, 2024.

The victims, including military personnel, were abducted by gunmen around the Ughelli axis of the East -West Road and were demanding huge ransom for their release.

He reiterated that following the operations of the OPDS, peace and order has been restored in the Niger Delta.

“At present, the Niger Delta region which used to be insecure and a hub of criminality is now relatively safe. The populace are enjoying a peaceful and tranquil environment as they go about their daily activities without fear. Although, there are still pockets of security issues, which are minimal and being contained,” he said.