The Nigeria Police Force, on Thursday, destroyed an illegal refinery, arrested four suspected oil thieves and recovered 40,000 litres of petroleum products in Rivers State.

In a press release on Friday, the force’s public relations officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the operation marked a significant breakthrough in its fight against oil theft, illegal bunkering and economic sabotage.

The statement said the operation was carried out by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Task Force on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering (IGP-STFPIB) and the state command’s department of operations.

Mr Adejobi said the milestone was achieved when the joint team, “on 12th September 2024, made the discovery of a storage facility in Trans Amadi, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, used in dealing and processing illegally acquired Crude oil.”

“This operation had led to the arrest of four (4) suspects, namely Emmanuel Nwachi ‘m’ 58 years; Adamu Bala ‘m’ 35years; Nura Musa ‘m’ 22 years; Bashir Abubakar ‘m’ 28 years, and the recovery of 40,000 litres of petroleum products, stored in 67 white storage tanks,” said Mr Adejobi.

The police spokesperson also stated that “the team, however, destroyed the site and recovered the equipment and machines used in committing these crimes.”

He said IGP Egbetokun reiterated the police’s commitment to tackling all forms of crime, criminality, corruption, and economic sabotage, assuring that the force remains unyielding and will continue to bring these perpetrators to book.