Kelvin Bowoto
The Nigerian Navy discovered an illegal oil refinery at Abonnema Wharf in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State. During the raid, security officers discovered and confiscated around 750,000 liters of illegally processed Automated Gas Oil (AGO), also known as diesel.
Following the raid, the commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Commodore Desmond Igbo, told journalists that the drill was conducted on a tip-off. Igbo added that the raid was part of the chief of naval staff’s mandate, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, to put an end to illegal oil bunkering and crude oil theft in the Niger Delta and elsewhere in the country.
The NNS Pathfinder commander, who defined illicit oil bunkering and crude oil theft as acts of economic sabotage, stated that he and his team are committed to putting an end to the menace in their area of operations. He stated, “This is yet another illegal oil bunkering site in Port Harcourt.
” As you can see, we have a lot of drums filled with these illegally refined items. “We’ve also stuffed some inside the bags. We have around 750,000 liters of AGO stolen by criminals stocked here. We were at the creeks the last time, but these oil thieves have found a new way to get into town.
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This is Abonema Wharf, a hamlet located inside Port Harcourt, the state capital.” According to Igbo, the unlawful refining plant endangers both residents and business owners in the region. The commander stated that “stealing this oil is not only a sabotage of the nation’s economy, but it is also an act of environmental degradation.”
“They also endanger the citizens and properties of those who live nearby because if a fire breaks out, the entire neighborhood would be destroyed. “We will not let this continue.” Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogala, the Chief of Naval Staff, has given us the mandate to deploy to the creeks, sea, and land to put an end to crude oil theft in the Niger Delta. “We will not relent, and we won’t be deterred, even with all forms of sabotage and blackmail.
We will continue to do the right thing both day and night to ensure this act of economic sabotage stops.” He advised all those participating in the act of undermining the nation’s economy to stop and instead participate in legal business to make a living.
Techrectory with Agency Report.
