The military Joint Task Force, also known as Operation Delta Safe, has uncovered over 50 illegal crude oil refining sites in the Biseni area of the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The military task force also uncovered a large open pit that the oil thieves dug to accommodate over 10 trucks of Automotive Gas Oil, also known as diesel.
JTF Commander, John Okeke, who led the operation, said the illegal refining of stolen crude oil was taking place in each of the sites.
Okeke said he had earlier warned oil thieves in the area to desist from illegal refining of crude oil.
“Today, as I said, we are not going to relent and it is a work in progress. We will not get tired, we will continue. We are in Biseni in the Yenagoa LGA of Bayelsa,” Okeke said.
“We transverse from Ahoada West LGA of Rivers to reach this point. The most surprising thing is that this place is housing over 50 cooking sites with unique arrangements.
“Look at the thick forest we are in now. You can never imagine that such a serious crime is going on here. If not for the good-spirited individual who volunteered information, we wouldn’t have known.”
According to the commander, the thieves operating in the area connected a theft line made of a two-inch pipe, a galvanised pipe, directly to the supply oil line on the road, from a distance of about one kilometre.
“Then they have a lot of funny connections where they have various arrangements of D connection, multiple connections, where each of the thieves gets his supply from a large dug-out open pit that can accommodate more than 10 trucks of AGO, holding crude oil, from where they distribute to their cooking sites,” the JTF commander said.
Okeke noted the military would not relent in the campaign against oil theft and economic sabotage.
“I, personally, will begin to advocate more serious measures to address this challenge, because the country is bleeding from these illicit oil activities.
“When you allow such activities to continuously be perpetrated, the legitimate people that engage in the business will not be able to sell their products, because these criminals will be selling at far lower prices.
“The government needs to gain revenue for developmental purposes. That is why we have taken it as a force to continue fighting this battle and we will not relent.”
He urged public-spirited persons in the area to volunteer useful information that would help in stemming the tide of illegal businesses.
