Nigerian troops have deactivated 30 illegal oil refining sites across the oil-rich delta region in the past two weeks, according to Nigeria’s Headquarters.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Bernard Onyeuko, announced this in Abuja while briefing journalists on the ongoing military operations across the country.
The troops destroyed 57 galvanized pipes and arrested 25 economic saboteurs during the period, the spokesman for the military said.
According to him, two speed boats, four trucks, one bus, 44 drums of AGO, three outboard engines, one Berretta pistol, three locally made pistols and eight explosive devices have been evacuated by the troops
He sadded that a total of 2.8 million litres of crude oil and 3.8 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) were recovered within the period under review.
In Nigeria’s delta region, one of the largest oil exporters in Africa, illegal refining is a dangerous common practice among local people who sometimes boil crude oil in drums to extract fuel after vandalizing pipelines