The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has intensified its efforts to combat oil theft in the South-South region, successfully destroying 13 illegal refining sites in a recent operation.
This operation, conducted along the Imo River, is part of a broader strategy to curtail the activities of economic saboteurs involved in oil theft and illegal refining.
According to Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, the Director of Public Relations and Information for the Nigerian Air Force, the operation was carried out by personnel attached to Operation Delta Safe.
The illegal refining sites were strategically located in challenging terrains, which the perpetrators exploited to carry out their activities undetected.
Gabkwet emphasized the need for continued and drastic measures to address the growing number of illegal oil refining sites in the region.
“Even as efforts have been ramped up to curtail the activities of oil thieves and economic saboteurs in their illegal and nefarious acts of bursting oil pipelines and siphoning crude oil or its products, the rate at which illegal oil refining sites continue to spring up requires drastic measures,” he stated.
During the operation, NAF personnel destroyed not only the refining sites but also over 10 overhead tanks connected to reservoirs and numerous gallons of illegally refined products.
In another related mission, operatives spotted a six-tyre truck alongside the riverbank with four canoes loading illegal products. The truck and canoes were destroyed after the criminals scattered upon sighting the aircraft.
The operation also included a patrol over the Trans Niger Pipeline, covering areas from Rumuekpe-Nkpoku to Bonny. No unusual activities were observed during the patrol.
