In a relentless bid to curb the activities of oil thieves in South-South Nigeria and safeguard the nation’s oil sector from economic sabotage, a combined team of operatives from the Nigerian Army’s 181 Amphibious Battalion, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Tantita Security, has clamped down on a large-scale illegal oil refining operation in Owahwa community, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The joint operation, which took place on Saturday, 29th July 2023, was a result of strategic surveillance carried out to monitor and arrest the nefarious activities of unauthorized oil refiners in the area.
Upon the raid of the illegal refining site, the vigilant operatives discovered 35 modular ovens being used for illegal crude oil refining, three fabricated reservoirs, 30 dug-out reservoirs, and 75 galvanized pipes.
The illegal site has since been clamped down, marking a significant victory in the ongoing war against oil theft.
Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director Army Public Relations, in a statement, urged all law-abiding Nigerians to continue supporting these anti-oil theft operations.
He encouraged the public to report any suspicious activities related to illegal oil refining and bunkering in their communities to the appropriate security agencies.
