By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – Troops of the Nigerian Navy conducting Operation ”Dakatar Da Barawo” confiscated crude oil and other illegally refined products worth N2.7billion in June.
The Director of Information, Naval Headquarters, Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, made this known in a statement issued in Abuja.
He said the various Nigerian Navy platforms deployed for ‘Operation Dakatar Da Barawo’, ‘Calm Waters 11’ and Tripartite Joint Border Patrol have continued to sustain aggressive patrols to curb the menace of crude oil theft and illegal oil bunkering.
The Director added that several Illegal Refining Sites (IRS), metal storage tanks, wooden boats, dugout pits and ovens were destroyed between June 13 and June 19.
According to him, five suspects were apprehended while Naval operatives destroyed 14 Illegal refining sites.
He further said 80 storage tanks, 22 wooden boats, 40 ovens, two speed boats, a tanker, truck, barge and a Toyota Sienna car were recovered during the various operations during the period.
Similarly, Ayo-Vaughan continued, Navy ship VICTORY in Cross River intercepted and impounded three wooden boats laden with drums of suspected illegally Refined Petrol (PMS) around Ikang channel, suspected to be enroute Cameroon.
He added that all the products were taken into custody.
Other feats recorded by the Nigerian Navy in the period under review include two wooden boats laden with about 400,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil at Iwokiri, by “Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny in Rivers”, and the Navy ship SOROH in Bayelsa’s interception of a wooden boat laden with about 60,000 litres of suspected illegally refined AGO.
Both seizures were destroyed, he stated.