ARMY UNCOVERS ILLEGEAL BUNKERING SITE WITH OVER 3 MILLION LITRES OF CRUDE OIL IN RIVERS STATE
BY BABRIEL OKECHUKWU, FRCN PORT HARCOURT
Six Division Nigerian Army Port Harcourt has uncovered an illegal bunkering site with over fourteen dumps having capacity of over three million litres of crude oil in Odiogwa Community Etche Local Government Area Rivers State.
The General Officer Commanding, GOC, Six Division Nigerian Army, Major General Jamal Abdussalam who conducted journalists round the site warned that no one involved in illegal bunkering would be spared.
The discovery of the illegal bunkering site followed intelligence gathering concerning pipeline vandalism in the locality.
The site which is situated in a thick forest inside Odiogwa Community Etche Local Government Area Rivers State, occupied a large expanse of land of about five acres with network of pipes and hoses connecting to both cooking areas and loading spots.
The vandals took advantage of abandoned wellheads scattered around the vicinity and close to a flow station from where they siphoned crude, for the illegal acts.
Conducting Newsmen round the facility, the General Officer Commanding, GOC, six Division Nigerian Army Port Harcourt, Major General Jamal Abdussalam described as huge the level of economic sabotage involved in the illegal act.
Major General Abdussalam who said that apart from six suspects arrested, the Army would give a hot chase after other vandals to apprehend them.
The GOC who is also the Land component Commander South South, Operation Delta Safe, explained that the discovery of the illegal site was a positive move in the quest to eradicate oil theft in the Niger Delta and increase oil production.
Major General Abdussalam stated that the facility would be destroyed with the use of swamp buggy while the confiscated products would be handed over to relevant agencies.
