Troops of Operation Delta Safe have in the last two weeks apprehended 10 suspected pipeline vandals and two high profile sea pirates in the Niger Delta.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, made the disclosure at a bi-weekly news briefing of the Defence Headquarters, yesterday, in Abuja.
Onyeuko gave the names of the arrested sea pirates as Fagha Golden, (aka) Fine Boy, and Victor Elkanah, (aka) Victor Padi.
He said Fine Boy was apprehended at Nonwa village in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers, while Padi was captured at Pharzy Spring Diagnostic and Wellness Hospital in One-Eleme Local Government Area of the state.
He said the suspects were notorious for a series of armed attacks on oil vessels, kidnapping of expatriates and illegal oil bunkering in Rivers.
“The large quantity of crude and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and the number of arrested crude oil thieves shows the unrelenting efforts by the troops.
“Troops have sustained offensive posture to deny criminals the much needed space for their illegal operation in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states. In the process several illegal oil refining sites were discovered and destroyed.
“These include 37 illegal refineries, 68 dugout pits, 188 storage tanks, 33 wooden boats, 16 pumping machines, one generator, one vehicle, 175 cooking ovens and 23 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition. Also, recovered was 3.7 million litres of crude oil and 2.01 million litres of AGO,” he said.