Nine illegal refinery camps used by operators of illegal oil activities in Rivers state have been destroyed by men of 29 Battalion, Nigerian Army, in Port Harcourt.
According to the Commanding Officer 29 Battalion, Lt. Col Olusegun Oladuntoye, who led the operation, the success of the operation was due to the new strategies introduced by the Chief of Army Staff to rid the Niger Delta Region of illegal oil activities.
He told journalists that according to economic statistics on the nation’s crude oil production, the nation loses an estimated sum of N20 billion annually to crude oil theft.
To win the war, he noted that the Army introduced the Swam Buggy, an earth moving equipment that moves both on land and on water,which it uses for demolition of illegal structures found at various illegal refinery camps scattered within the region.
He further noted that the new approach was to achieve better results in tackling the rising security situation in the Niger Delta region, which also informed the creation of Operation Pulo Shield in the area two years ago.
Lt.Col. Oladuntoye, who appealed to residents of the area to support the fight against illegal oil activities, said most of the illegal oil refinery camps earlier destroyed were discovered using aerial surveillance and constant patrols along the creeks
Among the other eight illegal refinery camps so far uncovered and destroyed by the Nigerian Army are the Dutch Island and the St.Victoria Islands refineries.
He said in spite of the new approach to discourage the revival of destroyed refineries, troops would also carry out a twenty-four-hour surveillance patrol of the areas.
The JTF Commander said the operation would continue until all the illegal refineries in the area are completely destroyed and urged the public to provide the JTF with timely information that would lead to the apprehension of oil thieves and pipeline vandals.
