Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

 The war against illegal oil bunkering and crude oil theft intensified over the weekend as a joint patrol team of security agencies uncovered four camps involved in illegal oil bunkering and crude oil theft.

According to investigations the Labrador security outfit unit 3, Bille Kingdom, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State in conjunction with troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) uncovered the illegal bunkering camp at Ijawkiri.

Labrador and the security agencies have been on surveillance patrol on strategic areas of AITEO pipelines because of recent threat posed by illegal oil bunkering activities.

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A reliable security source who craved anonymity said the joint operation success was traced to the resolve of all relevant agencies to curb crude oil theft in the region.

“The surveillance patrol carried out the patrol at strategic areas of AITEO pipelines which is prone to illegal bunkering activities. The combined operation between Labrador security outfit and the security agencies have been fruitful. The latest one was in Ijawkiri in Bonny Local Government Area and the operation uncovered four camps used for illegal oil bunkering.

“The camps were big and we decided to set them ablaze to ensure that the operators cannot resuscitate them. We also discovered a barge MV Wisdom which would be handed to the appropriate authorities. No suspect was arrested but their activities have been downgraded and with time, we would chase them out of this area,” the source said.

He further explained that based on the resolve of the Federal government, the war on crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, security agencies have been given directives to clamp down on all those involved.

It would br recalled that the Minister of State for Petroluem, Chief Timipre Sylva recently during a tour of  Nembe and Brass local government areas, shortly after his inauguration hinted that the Federal government would go tough on crude oil thieves and illegal oil bunkerers in the Niger Delta region so as to increase oil production.