Military operations against crude oil theft yielding noticeable production increases, says Spokesperson

BY ANDREW OROLUA

The Military said on Thursday that its recently rejigged operations against crude oil theft in the Niger Delta has begun to yield noticeable increase in the nation’s crude oil production.

Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, who stated this at a press briefing in Abuja, said “though we are not yet at where we want to be in terms of daily crude oil production, troops will sustain the renewed vigor and momentum till crude oil production target is achieved and exceeded.”

He said that troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 15 dugout pits, 17 boats, 62 drums, one receiver and 27 storage tanks this week and conducted series of air raids on illegal refineries sites in Imo Rivers and successfully destroyed them.

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Other items recovered from illegal oil thieves include 32 cooking ovens, 2 outboard engines, 2 pumping machines, 2 vehicles, one tricycle, 3 motorcycles and 84 illegal refining sites. Troops recovered 920,800 litres of stolen crude oil, 88,760 litres of illegally refined AGO and 7,500 litres of PMS.

The troops in the South-South also denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of Nine Hundred and Forty Three Million One Hundred and Sixty One Thousand Six Hundred and Eighty Naira (N943,161,680.00)

Major General Buba said that ongoing operations across in other parts of the country remained focussed on defeating and killing the enemy wherever they are hiding adding that “we are in a better place today, than at any previous time.”

According to him, the heat on the terrorist gangs attested to the fact that the military, other security agencies and Nigerians at large are winning the insurgents’ war.

“During the week under review, troops neutralised 147 and arrested 381 persons. Troops also arrested 23 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 113 kidnapped hostages.

“Furthermore, troops recovered 74 assorted weapons and 3,498 assorted ammunition with the breakdown as follows: one dushka, one RPG bomb, one RPG charger, 42 AK47 rifles, 10 fabricated rifles, 13 dane guns, one FN rifle, one revolver pistol, one locally made pistol, 27 magazines, one AK47 dummy rifle, one AK47 top cover and one baofeng radio.

“Others are 288 rounds RG55 ammo, 40 rounds CJ95 ammo, 2,466 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 470 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 73 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 112 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm, 42 live cartridges, 6 vehicles, 32 motorcycles and 8 mobile phones amongst other items.

“Overall, we are constantly assessing our actions, adjusting and amending our operations in order to annihilate terrorists across. He assured that troops are working decisively to kill the terrorists, stop the insecurity and ensure the safety of citizens across the country,” Major General Edward Buba added.