On Sunday, the military Joint Task Force, known as Operation Delta Safe, discovered more than 50 illicit crude oil refining sites in the Biseni region of Bayelsa State’s Yenagoa Local Government Area.
Additionally, they found a large pit where oil thieves had dug to store over 10 trucks’ worth of Automotive Gas Oil, commonly known as diesel.
Commander John Okeke, leading the operation, highlighted that each site was engaged in the illegal refining of stolen crude oil, despite prior warnings to cease such activities in the area.
He said, “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.
“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 him, 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 said the military would not relent in the campaign against oil theft and economic sabotage.
He said, “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.”
Okeke urged public-spirited persons in the area to volunteer useful information that would help in stemming the tide of illegal businesses.