On Thursday, the Nigerian Navy said its officers arrest 55 suspected crude oil thieves and deactivated 124 illegal refining sites in the Niger Delta region in the past four months.
This development was contained in a statement issued by the Flag Officer Commanding Central Naval Command, Rer Admiral Samson Bura in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
According to him, the activities of its Operation Delta Sanity resulted in positive results while disclosing a 90-day extension of the operation.
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He said a total of 116 wooden boats, 543 dugout pits, and 64 storage tanks were also deactivated, while six vessels were apprehended within the period of the operation before the directive by the Chief of Naval Staff to further extend it.
He added that several items and equipment used in the building of illegal refineries were seized, clarifying that the operations were done by existing regulations.
Furthermore, Burna stressed that the fight against crude oil theft and illegal refining has influenced positively Nigeria’s oil production, which increased to 1.7 million barrels per day compared to about 1.3 million barrels per day in June 2024.