Nigeria: JTF Destroys 10 Illegal Refineries, Arrests over 50 Suspects

Posted on Jun 17 2012 - 4:09pm by News of Africa Staff Writer

The Joint Military Task Force (JTF) Operation Pulo Shield has said it arrested 33 suspected oil thieves in Rivers and Bayelsa States in five different raids between June 1 and 10.

The acting spokesman of the JTF, Captain Sunny Samuel, disclosed this Tuesday while briefing journalists at Bori Camp, Port Harcourt on the activities of the task force.

He said the 32 suspects have been handed over to the Civil Defence Corps for possible prosecution while the corpse of one of the suspects, who died after exchange of gunfire, has been handed over to the police.

Samuel explained that 17 suspects were arrested when men of the JTF raided the area and facilities of oil thieves along Borokiri shoreline in Port Harcourt last week, while 16 others were arrested in Bonny area of the state.

He said a total of 772 drums of AGO, 15 surface tanks and 150 empty drums were destroyed during the raid, adding that 12 illegal refineries, 121 cooking points as well as 137 jerry cans with content were also destroyed.

“I want to tell you that the crackdown is on-going. As long as we receive information we will swing into action until we rid the Niger Delta of oil bunkering,” he said.

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