War on illegal refineries declared in Rivers state; Navy officials say they will sink any vessel suspected of carrying illegal crude on board.
Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas warned oil thieves that their vessels will be destroyed.
Commander Shuwa Abdulrahim Mohammed of the Nigerian Navy ship Pathfinder assured the general public that the operation against oil thieves will last until all illegal refineries in the state are wiped out.
“The heat is already on oil thieves and those running illegal refineries in the state,” he told the press, adding that “the anti-oil theft war is on, no compromise.”
He also made it clear that the oil thieves in Rivers state “will have no peace” and their hideouts will be destroyed. At least 78 illegal refineries have been destroyed over a period of the last two months.
On August 5 two patrolling Navy patrol boats discovered three active illegal crude oil refineries and set ablaze several tanks containing at least 20,000 litres of crude oil and about 6,000 litres of illegally refined petrol.
Besides that the crew of the patrolling boats also smashed a storage tank farm and drums containing a total of about 700, 000 liters of illegal crude around Cartharwn channel and Bile axis.
According to Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, efforts by the Navy reduced crude oil theft nearly six times last year.
He warned oil thieves that the Navy will continue to destroy any vessel caught with illegal crude on board. “If we do not destroy these things in situ it means you are releasing the boats to be taken back again,” he told, adding that “we will continue to do that which will deter them from continuing with their nefarious acts.”
Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas was appointed Chief of Naval Staff a month ago by Muhammadu Buhari.
The new chief of naval staff hails from Cross River State. He enlisted into the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of the 26th Regular Course in 1979 and was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant in 1983.
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