Senator Iroegbu in Abuja
The anti-crude oil theft operatives of the Nigerian Navy have raided and destroyed several illegal refineries in Warri, Delta State.
This is coming as the Nigerian Navy denied an online report that the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, may be sacked for his refusal to take an ‘illegal recruitment list’ from Mamman Daura.
The Director of Information (DINFO), Commodore Christian Ezekobe, in a statement yesterday, said that the patrol team deployed by Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, naval base in Warri raided an illegal refinery at Asiagbene community in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.
According to Ezekobe, four large GP tanks laden with about 10,000 liters each of product suspected to be illegally refined AGO was destroye
He also said the patrol team on July 21, 2016 located and destroyed two illegal refineries with three Cotonou boats containing approximately 350MT of illegally refined AGO at Asosolo and Ugbosede in Warri South West Local Government Area.
During the raid, he said, two persons were arrested while the following items were recovered; five speed boats, 20 drums of illegally refined diesel, five drums of illegally refined kerosene, a pumping machine, generator and 1 90HP outboard engine.
He said the suspects are undergoing further investigation.
He said the patrol team deployed by NNS Pathfinder in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has raided and destroyed two active illegal refinery sites around Ogu Bolo in Rivers State.
“During the raid, six storage tanks each containing 60,000 litres of suspected stolen crude and two speed boats carrying 15 drums each of illegally refined diesel were destroyed. The patrol team also destroyed a barge laden with about 120,000 litres of suspected illegally refined diesel,” he stated.
Ezekobe further stated that the upsurge in criminal activities via the numerous waterways in the hinterland are often tagged as being perpetrated by militants with an accompanying call on the NN to act.
He stated that while the Navy identifies with the concerns of the citizens in the affected areas, its statutory mandate does not cover most of these areas “and that there is a need to treat each incident on a case by case bases using the Nigeria Police and other security agencies as the driving force to secure life’s and property within the hinterland.”
In another development, Ezekobe debunked the news report titled: ‘Chief of the Naval Staff faces sack for rejecting illegal recruitment list from Mamman Daura.’
“After a thorough scrutiny of the publication, it was evident that this is one of the many attempts to disparage and scandalise the current efforts of the federal government to eliminate all forms of corrupt tendencies in our national life,” he said.
The Naval spokesman stated that the “news report is false, mischievous, malicious and is intended by its sponsors to create disaffection among the citizens as regards the conduct of the Nigerian Navy recruitment exercise.”
He also urged members of the public to disregard the report.
