The Nigerian Navy Ship, SOROH has recovered 17,000 litres of products suspected to have been produced from stolen crude oil in Bayelsa State.
The products were recovered in a building in Diebu community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa.
It was gathered that troops discovered and destroyed the illegally refined products in the patrols between January 22 and 29.
The Commander, NNS SOROH, Commodore Olushina Ojebode who revealed this said the navy has intensified the Operation Cordon and Search within its area of responsibilities in Bayelsa.
Represented by Capt. Suleiman Abdulahi, he explained that the operation was in line with the Nigerian Navy’s Operation Delta Sanity, set up to end oil theft and illegal bunkering.
According to him, the operation, which is aimed at fighting crude oil theft, illegal oil bunkering and other sundry crimes within the nation’s maritime environment, has so far recorded successes, particularly within Nigerian Navy Ship SOROH area of operations.
He added that the Navy’s patrol team deployed at Naval Security Station (NNS 030) while on patrol at Zion Area of Ezetu community, in Southern Ijaw, discovered illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil, equivalent to four drums or 1,200 litres.
“Further patrol within the Gbaran community led to the interception of a wooden boat conveying 275 sacks of illegally refined AGO, equivalent to about 55 drums or 16,500 litres.
“All items recovered were handled with extant procedures on anti-crude oil theft operation.
“Similarly, January 23, a patrol team of NNS SOROH acted on credible intelligence and conducted operations around Sangana General Area where 30 sacks of illegally refined AGO equivalent to 6 drums or 1,800 litres were discovered and handled accordingly,” he said.
