By Amos Odhe
The Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), on Wednesday uncovered two vast oil bunkering sites in Samkiri community, a small settlement located in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.
A tour of the sites by the OPDS commander, Rear Admiral John Okeke, represented by the Maritime Component commander, Commodore Adedokun Siyabade, revealed that over 30 illegal refining camps are in operation in the area.
The JTF commander, said that in continuation of the effort of the JTF South South Operation Delta Safe “is ready to rid the area of crude oil theft and other crimes in the area.”
According to him, the JTF will keep mounting operation in the different parts of the country. “You will recall that bearly two three weeks ago some illegally refined site was destroyed in Ataba close to Bonny, so the operation continue.
“So, here we are today in Samkiri village around Cawthorne Channel 1, where we have so many illegally refining site behind a village.
“We have about 10 boiling points there, here on this other side we have more than 20, as you can see.
“So, the JTF is not relenting in its efforts to rid this environment of crude oil theft and associated crimes, and as we have always been saying, we are not going to give room for people that have bent on impinging the country’s source of income so, that is why we are here today,” he said.
According to him, “All the illegal cooking site in this environment, unfortunately, are behind a community. It seems every house in the community has her own illegal refining site, which is not good for the image of the country and for the wellbeing of the people.
“If you can observe, one of the well-head is still pumping out crude into a dug-out pit that have been done by the perpetrators of the act.
“I want to say this operation was conducted by personnel from JTF, Nigerian Navy, Army, Air Force, and all operating paramilitary organizations working with the OPDS joint operation that is mounted to rid this environment of crude oil theft and cooking of this crude to make adultrated AGO.”
Okeke said that the team, under his leadership, will ensure that illegality does not exist as he is ready to make the environment uncomfortable for them all.
He urged those involved in it to look for genuine business to venture into, adding that if they are caught the full weight of the law will be on them if they don’t desist from illegality.
