•‘MEND did not blow up Shell’s facilities’
The Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta, “Operation Pulo Shield,’’ said it had traced the oil spill at Nembe Community in Bayelsa State to oil thieves.
Its spokesman, Lt. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa that operatives of the task force had identified the source of the spill.
Col. Nwachukwu also dismissed claims by the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) that its men attacked the facilities of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Nembe.
He described as false “the claim by those criminals of blowing up a well head”.
The spokesman said the JTF “troops on patrol along Nembe Creek 1 Flow Station had earlier reported an incident of oil spill on the water around Ewwelesuo Community in Nembe.
“The troops observed a fresh dug out possibly for laying illegal pipeline and fresh foot prints which were traced to a small camp.
“Items such as hack saw for cutting pipelines, shovels, food items, cooking pots, sleeping mat, foot wears, bags of pure water and clothes were found in the camp”.
Col. Nwachukwu said the affected oil well operated by Shell in the Nembe axis had been shut down to forestall further damages to the environment.
NAN gathered that the camp used by the oil thieves in Nembe for the illicit trade has been destroyed by the JTF.
SPDC spokesman Mr Tony Okonedo declined comment on the spill when NAN correspondent contacted him.
Okonedo did not also respond to text messages sent to him on the issue.
Last Friday, the JTF said it arrested a fishing trawler converted into a bunkering vessel and used for conveying stolen crude.
Col. Nwachukwu said the arrest was made on the Akassa waterways in Bayelsa during multiple raids between April 1 and 10.
He said: “The fishing trawler, Christened DALLAL, was arrested laden with stolen crude oil product, when it was intercepted by operatives of NNS Delta, a maritime component of the Joint Task Force.
“The trawler has been towed to Brass Terminal and secured pending further investigations. Two barges laden with stolen petroleum products have also been arrested by operatives of Sector 2 of the Joint Task Force.
“The barges, named Coastal 22 Peace River and Mudigba 1 are now berthed at the Agip Brass Terminal pending their handover to prosecuting agencies at the completion of preliminary investigations,” Col. Nwachukwu said.
He said 20 pumping machines, one Lister generator and one cargo pumping generator were also seized by the JTF during the operation.
The JTF spokesman said 35 illegal refineries discovered in Rivers and Bayelsa coastal communities were destroyed within the period.
According to Col. Nwachukwu, JTF also destroyed 150 large plastic tanks and 23 pumping machines used by the oil thieves in another camp at Ogidigben Village at Escravos in Delta.
On the number of arrests made, he said 18 suspects were arrested in various anti-oil theft operations.
He said two of the suspects were handed over to the Rivers State Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps for prosecution, 16 are undergoing preliminary investigations.
SPDC had threatened to shut down its Nembe Trunk line because of rising incidents of oil theft through its pipeline network in Bayelsa.
On March 4, its Managing Director, Mr Mutiu Sumonu, urged the JTF to step up its activities to reduce oil theft, currently standing at about 60,000 barrels daily.
