Navy Arrests Four Suspects over Crude Oil Theft in Rivers State

*Destroys illegal refining sites Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Nigerian Navy on patrol has arrested four suspects in connection with oil theft and illegal refining in Rivers State.
Commander of Nigerian Navy Ship(NNS) Pathfinder, Commodore Suliaman Ibrahim, while addressing journalists on the development, at the weekend, said the apprehended suspects were indigenes of Southern Ijaw in Bayelsa State but reside in Borokiri, Port Harcourt.

Ibrahim, disclosed that on interrogation, the suspects confessed that they were paid N20,000 to transport diesel products from the creek to Port Harcourt.
He said the four suspects would be handed over to the prosecuting agencies are the conclusion of investigation.
Meanwhile, the Navy has dismantled and excavated oil equipment of a suspected oil syndicate at Well 17 of Oil Mining Lease(OML) 18 in Elem Krakama Creek, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers.

The NNS Pathfinder commander said the illegal oil mining activities around the area were spotted by Navy’s Patrol Helicopter on July 11, 2023, which led to the dismantling of the multiple pipelines buried in the ground.
Ibrahim, explained that the excavation exercise was done in collaboration with the operators of the well, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).

Recall that it was reported that the Navy uncovered two tapped wellheads at Kala Ekweama and Elem-Krakama creeks in Asari-Toru and Degema LGAs of Rivers State all under the OML 18 oil field.
Ibrahim, who expressed shock at the level of sophistication of the oil thieves, said such large-scale theft cannot be masterminded by petty thieves or amateurs but a syndicate of high-level experts.

“We came here with Members of NNPC, OML 18 resources, they are the owners of the well.
“We came with our heavy equipment to make sure we dismantle the illegal structures that are being used to siphon crude illegally. A lot of pipes have been recovered from the wellhead and we have disconnected where they are being connected to.

“As an individual what I have seen here is way beyond what I have seen elsewhere. The level of sophistication is beyond our imagination. The individuals involved had taken their time and done a lot of measurements and did welding on-site,” he said.
The NNS Pathfinder commander also disclosed that the Navy was already doing something in tracking the people involved, just as he assured the general public that all those involved will be arrested and prosecute the court of law.

He stated that although no arrest had been made concerning the Elem-Krakama creeks discovery, the Navy was working with sister security agencies specialised in investigations of cases like this.