The Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta raised the alarm on Tuesday that illegal refineries might soon spread to areas outside the oil rich region.

The JTF Commander, Maj.-Gen. Sarkin Bello, gave the warning after his men destroyed over 600 illegal refineries in different parts of the Niger Delta.

Bello said that intelligence and overfly reports had indicated that there were over 1,000 illegal refineries in different parts of the Niger Delta.

The JTF boss said the rising wave of illegal refineries was of great concern because of the economic and environmental impact on the nation.

He said, “It is a new menace with grave dimensions. Since people now know what people do with crude oil, it may move to other parts of the country where there are oil installations, don‘t be surprised.”

Bello said before now, kidnapping was restricted to the Niger Delta, but that it had spread to every part of the country.

According to him, ”Illegal oil refining is like any other crime, it mutates as the criminals try to find other means of livelihood.”

He stressed that aerial photographs had shown vast areas of devastation as a result of the activities of the illegal bunkerers and refinery operators.

”I can‘t see how such areas can be useful in the near future with the level of degradation,” he said.

Bello added that operating illegal refineries was an economic crime that involved people from all levels in society and not necessarily ex-militants.

The JTF commander, however, urged those engaged in illegal refineries ”to re-channel their talents to legitimate endeavours that will benefit not only themselves, but their communities and the nation at large.”

He said the JTF’s Operation Restore Hope would continue to destroy illegal refineries and arrest their operators anywhere they were found in the country.

Our correspondent learnt that between October and December 2009, the JTF identified and destroyed 600 illegal refineries.

Meanwhile, petrol stations across the country must henceforth fill the tanks and disregard the order to sell a maximum of N2,000 worth of fuel to private cars and N1,000 to commercial bus drivers, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, ordered on Tuesday.

The shortage of petroleum products in some parts of the country had been compounded by the directive by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to ration the quantity of petrol to be sold to motorists, a situation which forces car owners to return to refill frequently.

Speaking after taking a tour of several filling stations across the Abuja metropolis, Ajumogobia regretted the persisting queues in filling stations despite claims by the NNPC that there was adequate petrol in the country.

Ajumogobia said, “I came to personally assess what is going on. All the people around me tell me that there is enough fuel and yet I see queues. I am going to investigate who gave the authorisation for the rationing. When you ration it means there is not enough supply.”

He stressed that rationing of petrol did not make sense, wondering why an individual should wait for hours and then be subjected to buying only N1,000.

                       
http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200912163253698

How can these so called illegal refineries are functioning and govt owned owns cant function?.

Cant we use them and stop importations?

My Niger-Delta boys no dey dull themselves. . . . . FG cant even run one refinery properly, and we are running hundreds of refineries. . . . . hehehehehe

Ibime:

My Niger-Delta boys no dey dull themselves. . . . . FG cant even run one refinery properly, and we are running hundreds of refineries. . . . . hehehehehe

Niger Delta creativity at its best.

why should they close the refineries down, after all they are meeting local supply and demand needs

These folk have been successfully refining crude from oil spills and sundry sources, whereas the govt refineries don't work and even when they work, na only oyibo people dem dey ask. Shame.

Talent for rapid development is being wasted in that country by officials who only know the colour of money. Those refineries should have been regulated not destroyed, it doesn't make sense. . . Makes you wonder where we are going.

kaecy5:

why should they close the refineries down, after all they are meeting local supply and demand needs

True talk Bro. You are right. Why close down what is meeting local demands ans supply?

This entrepreneurial spirit should be encouraged, NNPC should partner with these guys and encourage home grown talent.

these criminal elements dey do bootleg refining wey dey generate additional toxic chemicals for una environment and una dey here dey praise them? wonders no dey end.

See potential business opportunity - why dont they all come together and build one large refinery.

There are ''refineries'' and there are refineries. The ones in question are ''refineries''. Don't be deceived by the name and photo.

ndu_chucks:

these criminal elements dey do bootleg refining wey dey generate additional toxic chemicals for una environment and una dey here dey praise them? wonders no dey end.

Bros, Bootleg or shoeleg, our people have been doing fractional distillation for centuries either with 'amereka' or now with 'crude oyel'. It is better than waiting for charity.

Even sef who tell you say these people are not treating the petroleum waste?

SapeleGuy:

Bros, Bootleg or shoeleg, our people have been doing fractional distillation for centuries either with 'amereka' or now with 'crude oyel'. It is better than waiting for charity.

Even sef who tell you say these people are not treating the petroleum waste?

you people have proven time and again that you adore your criminals, be they petty thieves who distill stolen raw materials or big thieves like ibori or cecilia. shame on you all. what is bad, is bad. shikena.

ndu_chucks:

you people have proven time and again that you adore your criminals, be they petty thieves who distill stolen raw materials or big thieves like ibori or cecilia. shame on you all. what is bad, is bad. shikena.

I've seen one of these refineries. They weren't using stolen crude, no it was crude from an oil spill that had gone on for years (and is still likely to be going on). I assume its the same for others, agreed some might be bunkering, but what are their options when they have no jobs yet, their farmland is polluted and all fish in the water have been poisoned by oil?
These people have valuable skill that need to be harnessed. Their trade should be regulated and maybe we will be able to build our very own refineries with experience and some education. Why would we need Snamprogetti?

Beaf:

I've seen one of these refineries. They weren't using stolen crude, no it was crude from an oil spill that had gone on for years (and is still likely to be going on). I assume its the same for others, agreed some might be bunkering, but what are their options when they have no jobs yet, their farmland is polluted and all fish in the water have been poisoned by oil?
These people have valuable skill that need to be harnessed. Their trade should be regulated and maybe we will be able to build our very own refineries with experience and some education. Why would we need Snamprogetti?

Stop the pitiful defense of these criminals! Most of the crude they use is stolen and even if they did not steal the crude, is it not criminal to operate a bootleg refinery? Being jobless and in need of job opportunities is not a license to become a criminal - you of all people should know this.

Ndu-chucks,
These people believe hard work is honourable, begging or relying on handouts is not their tradition. As for your so called  criminals - I say innocent until proven guilty.

Beaf:

I've seen one of these refineries. They weren't using stolen crude, no it was crude from an oil spill that had gone on for years (and is still likely to be going on). I assume its the same for others, agreed some might be bunkering, but what are their options when they have no jobs yet, their farmland is polluted and all fish in the water have been poisoned by oil?
These people have valuable skill that need to be harnessed. Their trade should be regulated and maybe we will be able to build our very own refineries with experience and some education. Why would we need Snamprogetti?

How are we sure you are not one of the crooks?

chosen04:

True talk Bro. You are right. Why close down what is meeting local demands ans supply?

because of the environmental risks and these "refineries" aren't registered so technically they do not exist in the eyes of the FG.

snowdrops:

How are we sure you are not one of the crooks?

Abeg, go and hide!

ndu_chucks:

Stop the pitiful defense of these criminals! Most of the crude they use is stolen and even if they did not steal the crude, is it not criminal to operate a bootleg refinery? Being jobless and in need of job opportunities is not a license to become a criminal - you of all people should know this.

No, that is by a black and white interpretation of the law. But anywhere in this World, there is something known as "mitigating circumstances"; for these people it is so great that I doubt they can even be tried in court.
They have no jobs, yet they can't fish or farm and because of the terrain, there are no industries or jobs nearby. Its a terrible existence.

Beaf:

No, that is by a black and white interpretation of the law. But anywhere in this World, there is something known as "mitigating circumstances"; for these people it is so great that I doubt they can even be tried in court.
They have no jobs, yet they can't fish or farm and because of the terrain, there are no industries or jobs nearby. Its a terrible existence.

And as always you are right. Typical warri clown. Everyone who gives a different point of view must be from mars. What a Arrow.

Beaf:

No, that is by a black and white interpretation of the law. But anywhere in this World, there is something known as "mitigating circumstances"; for these people it is so great that I doubt they can even be tried in court.
They have no jobs, yet they can't fish or farm and because of the terrain, there are no industries or jobs nearby. Its a terrible existence.

Mitigating circumstance ko, marginalization circumstance ni. Who is talking about the marginalized unemployed youth of the niger delta? Those boys don't have the resources to bring in all the apparatus required to perpetrate the said crimes. We are talking about the educated criminals that exploit these boys.

I too have seen these bootleg refineries, some of them are quite sophisticated. The real criminals are members of the cartel that are bunkering criminals and expoiters of the youths. Don't even try to defend them, they belong in prison! These same criminals are now threatening to attack JTF. Let them try it.

Beaf:

These folk have been successfully refining crude from oil spills and sundry sources, whereas the govt refineries don't work and even when they work, na only oyibo people dem dey ask. Shame.

Talent for rapid development is being wasted in that country by officials who only know the colour of money. Those refineries should have been regulated not destroyed, it doesn't make sense. . . Makes you wonder where we are going.

True talk beaf.
Can you even imagine JTF boosting about the good jobs they have done by destroying what they cant even build?

chosen04:

True talk beaf.
Can you even imagine JTF boosting about the good jobs they have done by destroying what they cant even build?

Read the article properly - this illegal activity is causing further degradation of the environment:

He stressed that aerial photographs had shown vast areas of devastation as a result of the activities of the illegal bunkerers and refinery operators.

”I can‘t see how such areas can be useful in the near future with the level of degradation,” he said.

There is enough degradation of the environment as it is - you can't allow these types of facilities to go on without control - think of the risks from explosion, pollution and massive casualties.

These indiscriminate refiners are likely polluting rivers, groundwater and farmland. . . .the damage caused far outweighs any temporary benefit the refined products get them.

Make them legal and let's start using them.

madam L:

Make them legal and let's start using them.

Simplistic, but ultimately impracticable - you can't possibly connect all 600 illegal refineries and expand them because they were never intended to be uses as such.

Those half-baked nigerian police.

lol
how do you people even know that the products from these 'refineries' are suitable for use in our vehicles?

Either way, it is laughable to claim that these people are 'refining' anything other than stolen crude.

Funny how Nigerians give that silly defence of criminality all in the name of economic adversity. So because times are hard, stealing is permitted abi?

ndu_chucks:

Mitigating circumstance ko, marginalization circumstance ni. Who is talking about the marginalized unemployed youth  of the niger delta?  Those boys don't have the resources to bring in all the apparatus required to perpetrate the said crimes. We are talking about the educated criminals that exploit these boys.

I too have seen these bootleg refineries, some of them are quite sophisticated. The real criminals are members of the cartel that are bunkering criminals and expoiters of the youths. Don't even try to defend them, they belong in prison! These same criminals are now threatening to attack JTF.  Let them try it.

Forget about "bunkering criminals and expoiters of the youths". That will lead to a whole new argument, lets deal with the boys who build these things.

One very pertinent question is, why have "the educated criminals that exploit these boys" been able to spot and harness a talent that the FG has never been able to spot or harness?
All over the World, inventive talent is treated as a national treasure, why is Nigeria different?

Illegal refineries are detrimental to the nations short term economic development but may be beneficial to the nation's long term technological and hence economic development only if those refineries are locally fabricated by Nigerians.

Illegal refineries get illegal crude oil,refine and sell mainly to outside Nigeria in the international black market without paying any tax to Nigeria. That is why it will not help our economy right now.It will only enrich the few people directly involved and mind you the must keep their business hush hush.

However, if our people actually made those refineries ^{and not some dubious Asians} then we need to encourage them more and we may very well be on our way to localizing the technology of refineries.

VALIDATOR:

Illegal refineries are detrimental to the nations short term economic development but may be beneficial to the nation's long term technological and hence economic development only if those refineries are locally fabricated by Nigerians.

Illegal refineries get illegal crude oil,refine and sell mainly to outside Nigeria in the international black market without paying any tax to Nigeria. That is why it will not help our economy right now.It will only enrich the few people directly involved and mind you the must keep their business hush hush.

However, if our people actually made those refineries ^{and not some dubious Asians} then we need to encourage them more and we may very well be on our way to localizing the technology of refineries.

The refineries are 100% locally made. They differ widely in complexity, some are incredidibly crude and add to the damage to the environment; others are highly sophisticated (some manned by unemployed chemical engineers and other professionals) and need to be regulated by govt, instead of being destroyed.

These boys have shown that refining fuel isn't rocket science and we can seize a great percentage of our oil industry. But, as usual, the FG will never believe Nigerians are capable until the day they start seeing illegal oil wells .

We need true federalism, so that the ND can control its destiny and harness Nigerian talent.

Since the FG has legalised illegality through the Petroleum and Land Acts, the lines between legality and illegality are blurred. Until the FG redresses these injustices, picking on a couple of rogue traders is akin to cleaning the room of cobwebs and ignoring the elephant in the room. I must commend my Niger-Delta bros for their spirit of ingenuity. I have seen an illegal refinery in Ogoni-land on youtube, where boys are boiling crude-oil in crude drums and seperating out gasoline, kerosine, diesel and industrial fuel. One cannot help but admire their never-say-die spirit.