The Nigerian Air Force, working as part of Operation Delta Safe, has in the last two months, destroyed over 30 illegal oil refining sites through air strikes around Cawthorne Channel and Bille, in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The spokesperson for the Air Force, Edward Gabkwet, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Gabkwet, an air commodore, said the air strikes ramped up efforts at denying oil thieves and operators of illegal oil refining sites the opportunity to burst oil pipelines.

He said the air strikes conducted at Cawthorne Channel, on Friday, destroyed four active illegal refining sites with dug-out reservoirs and surface storage tanks suspected to contain illegal refined products.

According to him, similar air strikes were also conducted at Bille on Saturday and early hours of Sunday which destroyed three illegal oil refining sites with storage tanks and reservoirs.

“In one of the sites, a Cotonou boat suspected to be siphoning crude oil from a flow station was engaged in several passes and destroyed.

“In the last two months, Cawthorne Channel and Bille have accounted for the majority of oil theft and illegal oil refining activities in Rivers State.

“Within this period, over 30 illegal oil refining sites in these two locations have been destroyed by the Land, Maritime and Air Components of Operation Delta Safe.

“These efforts will be sustained in these locations and others until oil thieves and their accomplices desist from their illegal activities,” the statement added.

10thTenthMan:



While I understand that deterrence is important, aren’t there other means that are less environmentally destructive than blowing up these locations and causing additional damage to the already existing terrible situation?

I still believe better avenues exist and should be explored in this fight against illegal refineries.

tollyboy5:
Terrorist claimed to shoot down our airforce and nothing has happened since then to avenge our fallen soldiers Wow!

BitterTruth01:
J just wonder at the level of environmental destruction and oil pollution that has taken placed in those areas

Chinjo2:
You can see that we are the ones doing ourselves. If locals can refine petroleum products, why can't the government promote the creation of more modular refineries and regulate them so they can go into mass production of petroleum products instead of relying on importation?
Corruption will not allow them.