The Joint Task Force, codenamed, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), said it has destroyed several illegal refining sites located within Abia State.

The Commander, Rear Admiral John Okeke, made the disclosure in a statement to journalists in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State yesterday.

Okeke said the task force also intercepted 14 boats loaded with crude oil in Obuzor, Okoloma and Komkom River in Abia. He said the operation was carried out by the air component of the task force following reliable intelligence from members of the public.

The commander said that the mission was planned and executed to combat illegal activities along the Obuzor, Okoloma River and Komkom River regions.

He said: “The task force visited some communities in the region to caution them to desist from all illegal crude oil activities capable of destroying the nation’s economy.”