In Okoloma, Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State and Umuahale in the Ukwa West LGA of Abia State, troops from two divisions of the Nigerian Army have discovered and demolished massive illegal refineries.
The General Officers Commanding, 6 Division, Maj. Gen. Jamal Abdussalam, and his counterpart in 82 Division, Maj. Gen. Hassan Dada led the operational visits that led to this discovery.
The 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Jonah Danjuma, revealed this development in a statement on Thursday, emphasizing that the raids are part of the Army’s efforts to end oil theft.
Maj. Gen. Jamal Abdussalam and Maj. Gen. Hassan Dada, the General Officers Commanding 6 and 82 Divisions, respectively, jointly visited the illegal oil bunkering empire situated at Okoloma, Oyigbo Local Government Area and Umuahale in the Ukwa West LGA in Rivers and Abia states.
Both locations are on the fringes of the Imo River, where the two divisions are jointly conducting clearance operations from Rivers and Abia states.
During the visit, the GOCs were taken on a tour by Brig. Gen. Edet Effiong, the Commander of 6 Division Garrison, and Brig. Gen. Olusola Diya, the Commander of 14 Brigade, deep into the thickly forested areas at the fringes of the Imo River.
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They observed the hub of illegal oil bunkering, concealed under the thick forest, showcasing cooking pots, boilers, surface reservoirs, and large quantities of illegal products in dug-in reservoirs with interconnected pipes spanning several kilometres.
The crime scene indicates that it is an organized crime that has been running for an extended period, as evidenced by the substantial investment made to sabotage the national economy.
The GOCs, in their address to the troops, urged them to ensure the destruction of all illegal bunkering sites and reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s directive on zero tolerance for illegal oil bunkering, urging the troops to maintain the operational tempo against this criminality.
The military emphasized that as funds from oil theft are used to finance other crimes, concerted efforts are required to deny the enemies of the state freedom of action and ensure complete dismantling of these sources of funding.