The crackdown on economic saboteurs has intensified with the arrest of 21 suspected oil thieves by troops from the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in the Niger Delta region.
The operation also led to the dismantling of 43 illegal refineries and the confiscation of 120,000 litres of stolen petroleum products.
Lt.-Col. Danjuma Jonah, Acting Deputy Director of the 6 Division Army Public Relations, reported from Bayelsa State that the troops, working alongside other security agencies, apprehended 12 pipeline vandals in the Ojobo Community of Ekeremor Local Government Area.
The suspects were found with a barge loaded with a swamp buggy, a tugboat, and numerous vandalized Shell Production Development Company, SPDC, pipes.
He said: “Likewise, at Obotoro Creek and Babrogbene in Southern Ijaw LGA, troops destroyed an illegal refining site and intercepted a wooden boat as well as a reservoir with over 5500 litres of stolen products.
“Other items recovered from the site included 2 drums of Automotive Gas Oil, estimated to be 2,800 litres. Relatedly, One illegal refining site at Diebu Creek in Southern Ijaw with over 8000 litres was deactivated.
“The operations also yielded results around Binikurukuru axis of Igbomtoru and Tebidaba communities also in Southern Ijaw, where one wooden Canoe, loaded with over 2000 litres was intercepted with one suspect arrested.”