The 6 Division, Nigerian Army, has recovered about 238,500 litres of stolen crude oil from suspected oil thieves in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states.

The division’s Spokesman, Lt.-Col. Danjuma Danjuma, told journalists in Port Harcourt on Thursday that the crude oil was seized from trucks and illegal refining sites in the states.

He said that five suspects who were apprehended in the process would soon be prosecuted.

“These seizures are part of ongoing efforts to combat oil theft and illegal bunkering of petroleum products in the Niger Delta,” he said.

Mr Danjuma said that 110,000 litres of crude oil stored in an oven and a massive metal reservoir were discovered at an illegal refining site along Dasaba Creek in Bayelsa.

The spokesman added that troops of the 16 Brigade intercepted a truck with registration number, UDH 983 XR on Elebele-Emeyal Road, Ogbia, carrying 30,000 litres of stolen crude oil.

He said that acting on intelligence, soldiers traced inter-connected hoses from the Indorama Petrochemical pipeline, Eleme, Rivers, to a tank located in the bush.

He added, “More than 33,000 litres of crude oil, two pumping machines, a long hose and eleven drums used for the crime were recovered from the site. At Cawthorne Channel 1, troops, collaborating with other security agencies, deactivated an illegal refining site containing more than 5,500 litres of crude oil. The site is located near WellHead 8, behind Glisten Community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers.’’

The army spokesperson further said that 63 Brigade troops seized 30,000 litres of crude oil from a truck during a routine patrol in Mosogar, Delta.

According to him, the truck was intercepted along a trunkline belonging to Seplat Energy Nigeria Limited.

“These discoveries are the result of our renewed efforts to clamp down on economic saboteurs. We urge the public to provide security agencies with reliable intelligence to track down oil thieves and economic saboteurs,” he said.

(NAN)