The Nigerian Navy has urged the general public to avoid making assumptions about the alleged stolen oil shipment until the laboratory tests and investigations are complete, noting that the vessel was approved by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Military authorities said yesterday that troops of Operation Delta Safe dismantled 13 Illegal refining sites set up by oil bunkerers in the Niger Delta region.
The military also recovered 9,856.1 barrels of stolen crude, 1,339,000 litres of illegally refined diesel or Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and 500,000 litres of kerosene or DPK while 24 suspected oil thieves were nabbed.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, Coordinator, Directorate of Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Major General John Enenche, said troops of Operation Delta Safe sustained the aggressive fight against economic sabotage in the South-South zone.
Enenche, who spoke during the weekly briefing on military operations at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), said the operation which was conducted between 14 to 20 January 2021, also covered illegal maritime activities.
Troops of Operation Delta have apprehended 24 suspected oil thieves and recovered 9,856.1 barrels of crude oil, 339 million litres of illegally refined diesel as well as 500,000 litres of Kerosene in Delta State
Rescue three kidnapped persons in Nasarawa, arrest four cultist in Plateau
The Defence Headquarters, yesterday, said gunboats of Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, Akwa Ibom State, arrested two suspects and a wooden boat laden with 1,184 of 25kg bags of Yaraliva Nitrabor Fertiliser being smuggled from Cameroon during routine patrol on the Effiat waterways.
It also disclosed that while fertilisers were usually for agricultural purposes, the possibility of it being acquired by criminal elements and militants for making explosives could not be ignored.
Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche said this while briefing journalists on military operations in Abuja, stressing that the arrested fertiliser posed security threat considering current security challenges in the country.
Defence Headquarters (DHQ) spokesperson,
Major-General John Enenche, said during a media briefing on Thursday, January 14 that 1,184 25kg bags of Yaraliva Nitrabor Fertilizer, suspected to have been smuggled from Cameroon, were found in the boat. Enenche explained that while fertilizers are majorly for agricultural purposes, the possibility of being acquired by criminals for sinister purposes cannot be disregarded by the authorities. He said the confiscated fertilizer poses a security threat, especially in light of current security challenges, as it remains a potential component for the fabrication of explosives owing to its content of ammonium nitrate. Suspects and items are currently in custody and will soon be handed over to the appropriate prosecuting authority, he said.