The Nigerian Navy deactivated 71 Illegal Refining Sites (IRS) and seized over 400,000 litres of stolen crude oil last month.
In a statement, the Director of Information, Commodore Aiweyor Adams-Aliu, said the successes were recorded by Operation Delta Sanity.
The Air Component, Joint Task Force, Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFY), also hit terrorists who had converged on the foot of Asola Hills in Yankuzo Ward of Tsafe Local Government Area, Zamfara State for a wedding and killed many of them.
According to the Navy, last month’s operations led to the discovery and deactivation of 120 dugout pits and illegal refinery camps across Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom states.
“The coordinated raids resulted in the seizure of about 411,400 litres of stolen crude oil, 87,825 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 72,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), and 21,900 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS),” Adams-Aliu stated.
Giving a breakdown of the successes, he said on July 4, Naval personnel uncovered and destroyed six illegal refinery sites around Ogba, Egbema, and Ndoni communities in Rivers State. These sites, he said, contained about 66,000 litres of crude oil and 40,000 litres of illegally refined AGO.
“On July 12, another illegal refinery site with over 2,000 litres of stolen crude oil was deactivated in Otegele, Delta State. On July 14, three suspected smugglers were intercepted in Akwa Ibom State aboard a wooden boat loaded with about 2,500 litres of PMS, reportedly headed for Cameroon.
In Warri Southwest, Delta State, the troops uncovered an underground reservoir and pits holding over 7,000 litres of crude oil,” he said.
The Navy made discoveries made almost daily in various communities in Biseni, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State where its personnel deactivated two illegal refinery sites with about 200,000 litres of stolen crude and refined products. And seven metal ovens, six storage pits, and a massive pond containing more than 250,000 litres of crude oil, said the DINFO.
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Similar discoveries were made in Obodo Omadino, Oteghele, and Christian Village areas of Delta State.
“These significant successes underscore the resilience of the Navy under the leadership of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, to eradicate crude oil theft and contribute to improving Nigeria’s oil production,” Commodore Adams-Aliu added.
Also, the Air Component, Joint Task Force, Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFY), has hit terrorists who had converged on the foot of Asola Hills in Yankuzo Ward of Tsafe Local Government Area, Zamfara State for a wedding.
The Army said the airstrikes targeted an assembly of terrorists from the Faskari and Kankara axis of Katsina State, as well as various parts of Zamfara.
Many terrorists died, while others sustained injuries who were evacuated by their colleagues to Yankuzo village for treatment.
Troops of 1 Brigade under Sector 2 OPFY launched a follow-up and fought through an ambush laid along the route to the village.
In a statement, the OPFY Media Information Officer Devid Adewusi said the two separate operations eliminated no fewer than 30 terrorists.
“Locals and other reliable sources from the area have confirmed that no fewer than 30 terrorists were neutralized during the air interdiction by the Air Component of OPFY and the follow-up operations by ground troops,’’ Adewusi added.
In addition, four terrorist collaborators from Kunchin Kalgo village in Tsafe Local Government Area were critically injured.
The successful interdiction has brought relief to residents of Yankuzo, Tsafe, and neighbouring communities, who have suffered repeated terrorist harassment in recent times.
The OPFY reassures the people of Zamfara and Northwest of its continued commitment to ensuring peace and security in the zone.