The Nigerian Navy has announced that its personnel have demolished an illicit crude oil refining station known as “Market Square” in the creeks of Obomakiri town in Rivers State’s Degema local government area.

They also discovered a crude oil manifold belonging to an indigenous oil business, from which the illicit refiners obtain the finished product.

Commodore Suleiman Ibrahim, commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, spoke to journalists near the damaged illicit refining station and said the action was part of the force’s measures to combat stolen crude oil and illegal processing in the Niger Delta.

The operation, which has the cooperation of the Joint Taskforce Operation Delta Safe, is also targeted at increasing crude oil output in Nigeria, according to Ibrahim.

“This morning, we invited you here (Obomakiri community in Degema LGA) so that you will come to witness the effort we are making to curb issues of stolen crude oil as well as the cooking. Recall that on the 1st of April, 2022, the Nigerian Navy launched Operation Dakada Barawo, which literary means ‘hunting the thief,’ because we all know that in the last couple of months, Nigeria has not been able to meet up his quota in crude oil production and this was as a result of the activities of crude oil thieves,” he said.

Adding that;

“Just behind you, there is where we refer to as ‘Market Square”, that is over 50 square kilometers where stolen crude was illegally cooked. As it stands now, there is no more cooking activity taking place there. Along the line, we were very curious to find out where the source of the crude oil they were cooking at the market square, were coming from. If you look behind us, you will see a Nigerian Navy helicopter carrying out an aerial surveillance and this was made possible with support from the Chief of Naval Staff, who has deployed resources and enough men to make sure that these illegal activities are put to a stop.”

Commodore Suleiman Ibrahim further stressed that;

“Yesterday, our tactical riverine squadron was able to identify the source of the crude oil theft. Then, with the aid of the Nigerian Navy helicopter, we were able to deploy. When we came here, we discovered four boats but one has sunk already and few of them are still floating. We also discovered a manifold where these products are being stolen from. Additionally, we have gotten support from Joint Taskforce, Operation Delta Safe and South South. As it stands, we have an ongoing operation aimed at boosting crude oil production for Nigeria and at the same time, halting crude oil theft. Nobody was arrested. We observed that as we came in through the creek and behind us, there are a lot of swamps. So, when they heard the sound of the engines of our boat, they abandoned their wooden boats or what do you call it, Cotonou boats and used the swamps to disappear. But, we are making efforts to get in touch with them. Those we arrested in the past, we handed them over to either the EFCC or the NSCDC. As it stands, the Nigerian Navy does not have the legal right to charge criminals to Court. We hand them over.”

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