Pauline Onyibe 
The Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), has arrested a Vessel, MV Ofuoma with ten crew members in Rivers State for illegal refined products.
Addressing newsmen on Tuesday at Abuloma Rivers, the Component Commander OPDS, Commodore John Siyanbade, who represented the OPDS Commander, Rear Adm. Olusegun Ferreira said that on August 15, 2023, a vessel by the name MV Ofuoma, in Port-Harcourt was arrested by the unit of the maritime component specifically Nigerian Navy Ship Pafinder in connection with a vessel being used as a storage for illegally refined products.
According to him, riding on the success of the JTF Operation Delta Safe spread its dragnet to this area where the vessel was discovered at Abuloma jetty in Port-Harcourt.
He said: “The vessel was receiving product suspected to be illegal refined AGO, from a dug-out wooden boat alongside as it was intercepted by OPDS, About 20,000 litres of the product have already been transferred from the dug-out boat to the vessel.
“Here currently we have about 35,000 litres still remaining on board as you have seen, the operation was conducted by troops of the JTF Operation Delta Safe Headquarters 10 suspects were arrested at the time of interception both from the crew on board, the vessel and also the crew from the dug in boat making it 10.
“The suspects have given credible information about where the source of the product is from. Operation is ongoing to deactivate the illegal refining site in the area and the operation will be for some time.
“All this is to show that the OPDS with all its components not relenting in their effort to ensure that crude oil theft and other forms of illegality in the operation area are eradicated and the mainstay of the Nigerian economy is not tampered with by people who want their peculiar gains. He said.
The Commander warned all those who indulge in illegality to stop and look for a legitimate business to venture into stating that if they are caught, the law will take it due course.
