The Nigerian Navy has uncovered approximately 85,000 litres of substance suspected to be stolen crude oil during a follow-up operation at the Allison area of Rivers.
This is contained in an operational report by the Director of Naval Information, Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho, made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.
Folorunsho said the operation was conducted to further disrupt attempts to re-establish illegal oil bunkering activities following an earlier intervention in the area.
He said that the operation was conducted by Forward Operating Base (FOB) BONNY on Tuesday, following actionable information on the establishment of a new illegal bunkering site.
“The operation uncovered 16 concealed dugout pits, including four containing approximately 40,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil.
“Troops also found another three containing approximately 45,000 litres suspected to be awaiting processing, along with hoses used to move crude oil,” he said.
According to Folorunsho, the latest discovery comes barely a week after the deactivation of a major illegal refining camp in the same area on Sept. 22.
He said that the successive interventions indicated that attempts to regenerate illicit oil-processing capacity were meeting continued naval pressure, land limiting criminal operators’ ability to restore previously disrupted activities.
He disclosed that the recovered suspected stolen crude oil and associated items were handled in accordance with established procedures.
Folorunsho also said that the operation further reinforced the importance of a sustained, intelligence-led presence in denying criminal operators the infrastructure needed to store, process, and move stolen crude oil.
