SECURITY ALERT WITH JIDE

JTF arrests six oil thieves in Bayelsa

 The Joint Task Force (JTF) led by the Commander, 5 Battalion of the JTF, Lt Col Ja’afaru Ibrahim, waylaid an oil theft syndicate during an early morning raid as they used the riverside Otuogori community in Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa State as depot for the transportation of illegally refined petroleum products.
Six in all, the suspects were caught in the act of their illegal activity as they were loading a 36,000 litre capacity tanker with illegally refined diesel and 300 surface tanks.
A 36,000 litre capacity tanker, with registration number XQ 239 LSR, used in conveying illegally refined petroleum product (diesel), 26 large surface tanks, 2 Geepee tanks, each having 500-litre storage capacity, over 300 drums of diesel, gigantic hoses, generators and 10 pumping machines used in siphoning stolen crude oil as well as in transferring illegally refined products to surface tanks, waiting vessels and tankers were intercepted by the security forces.
The raid was reported to be a surprise as most of the community members were believed to be neck deep in the illegal bunkering business because they all abandoned their place of abode which they stocked with the illegally refined products and scampered for safety while the JTF carried out their raid.
Last week’s destruction of 218 illegal refineries, 151 surface tanks and oil dumps around Oporoza in the Ecravos waterways of Delta State, Alakiri waterside and the adjoining creeks of Sombreiro River in Abonema, Rivers State led to raid by the JTF.