Military destroys 39 illegal refineries, arrest oil thieves
Mission Delta 39 illicit oil refinery plants in the South-South were demolished in the last two weeks by safe forces. At a news conference on Thursday in Abuja, Maj.-Gen. Musa Danmadami, Director of Defence Media Operations, reaffirmed this.
Additionally, the soldiers of Operation Octopus Grip and other actions destroyed 33 wooden boats, 103 storage tanks, 27 dugout pits, 48 cooking ovens, and 48 storage tanks.
13 vehicles, a barge, three pumping units, three speedboats, and a tugboat were all found by the army.
Forty alleged economic saboteurs were detained, along with about 274,000 liters of crude oil, 71,000 liters of automotive gas oil, 15 AK-47 weapons, and other items.
The proper authority has received the confiscated materials and the suspects for future action.
The air component of Operation Delta Safe detected illegal refining sites and streams in the Rivers State local governments of Gogokiri Degema and Okrika between January 12 and January 24.
The places were seen to have erupted in a blaze after being attacked with guns, and the illicit refining apparatus was also destroyed, according to Danmadami.
The military and other organizations in the South-East continued their onslaught against the Eastern Security Network and the Indigenous People of Biafra, or IPOB.
Soldiers captured 24 people, detained 24, and freed 16 kidnapped citizens.
Weapons and ammunition were found, including AK-47 rifles, pump-action rifles, IEDs, and locally produced explosive pipes.
