[ 2012-05-09 ]

The Joint Task Force are always on the heels of oil thieves in the Rivers State.

25 Ghanaians arrested in Nigeria for stealing oil
Twenty-five Ghanaians are among 30 suspected oil
thieves in the grips of the Joint Military Task
Force known as Operation Pulo Shield in the Niger
Delta region of Nigeria.

The suspects were arrested on Monday by security
operatives on patrol at Awoba in Degema Local
Government Area of Rivers State.

According to the Commander of the 2 Brigade of the
Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Tukur Burutai,
over 25,000 tonnes of crude oil were recovered
from them.

Speaking to the press in Port Harcourt, Brig. Gen.
Burutai said two vessels, MT Oxo and MT Ane, being
used for the illicit activity, had also been
recovered from the suspects.

He stated that members of the task force were
informed by some residents of Awoba community
about the breach of a Shell-owned pipeline by
suspected oil thieves and that they immediately
swung into action and arrested the suspects in the
act.

“We will interrogate all the suspects and, after
that, we will hand them over to the appropriate
government agency for prosecution. Since we took
over the operation of the JTF, we have been
fighting not only the illegal bunkering, but
piracy and to some extent, some elements of
militancy, which is currently at its lowest ebb,”
the Leadership newspaper quoted Brig. Gen. Tukur
Burutai.

He added: “As they come up, we strike and ensure
that we reduce them (oil theft and illegal
refining) to the lowest level and as you can see,
our efforts are paying off.”

Source - Citifmonline

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