The Nigerian Navy has arrested 11 suspected crude oil thieves in Delta State.
The Director of Information of the Nigerian Navy, Commodore Christian Ezekobe, said in a statement on Thursday that the service made the arrests during ‘Operation Zero Crude Oil Theft’ in the state.
Ezekobe said naval operatives deployed by the Naval Forward Operation base in the Escravos, arrested the suspects during raids on illegal refinery sites around Jones, Sara and Oporoza Creeks of Warri South West Local Government Area.
He said the 11 suspects would be handed over to the prosecuting agencies for further action.
According to Ezekobe, the Navy destroyed 23 Cotonou boats laden with stolen crude oil in the operation.
Also said to have been destroyed by the Navy were two speed boats, another Cotonou boat carrying 20 tanks with a total capacity of 160,000 litres of illegally refined automotive gas oil, six outboard engines and four pumping machines.
Ezekobe stated that the Navy also destroyed six speed boats carrying 30 drums laden with illegally refined AGO in another operation in Onne, Rivers State, between September 10 and 11, 2016.
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