Nigerian army destroys 27 illegal refineries, seizes stolen crude

By Timothy Olanrewaju

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - The Nigerian army confirmed Wednesday that it destroyed at least 27 illegal refineries and seized 100,000 liters (26,417 gallons) of stolen crude in a series of raids in the country's southern states.

Lt. Col. Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, an army spokesman, said troops and security operatives conducted special operations in Nigeria's oil-rich Rivers and Bayelsa states, where illegal refinery sites and pits for the storage of stolen crude were discovered.

"The operations led to the destruction of over 27 newly established illegal refining sites and the confiscation of over 100,000 liters of stolen crude in various operations conducted," he said.

He said troops conducted the operations along the remote Imo River, a place the military identified as a hub of illicit criminal activities, including oil theft.

Two storage reservoirs built with metal and containing over 80,000 liters (21,133 gallons) of stolen crude oil were confiscated, the army said.

Three vehicles loaded with illegally refined automotive gas oil (diesel fuel), estimated to be over 8,000 liters (2,113 gallons), were also seized.

Nigeria, one of the world's oil producing nations, has been experiencing oil theft and vandalization of oil pipelines for over a decade. Such criminal activities have been affecting the country's crude output to the global market, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said in an address to the nation on Aug. 4.