•Troops
The General Officers Commanding (GOCs) of 6 and 82 divisions of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Jamal Abdussalam and Maj.-Gen. Hassan Dada, have ordered troops to destroy all illegal oil bunkering sites within their areas of responsibilities in the Niger Delta and the southeast.
The GOCs were said to have given the order when they jointly paid an operational visit to an illegal oil bunkering empire located at Okoloma, Oyigbo Local Government Area, and the Umuahale area in Ukwa West in Rivers and Abia states, reports The Nation.
A statement signed by the acting deputy director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, said the two divisions were jointly conducting clearance operations at the seized illegal refinery sites located at the fringes of the Imo River.
Danjuma explained that the visit was essentially to assess the illegality perpetrated by criminals and economic saboteurs and to boost troops’ morale.
He said: “While at the fringes of the Imo River, deep into the thickly forested areas, the GOCs were conducted through a tour by the Commander, 6 Division Garrsion, Brig.-Gen. Edet Effiong and Commander 14 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Olusola Diya, where they saw the hub of illegal oil bunkering, shrouded with cooking pots, boilers, surface reservoirs and huge quantities of illegal products in dug-in reservoirs carefully concealed, under the thick forest with interconnected pipes spanning several kilometres.
“The crime scene points to the fact that it is an organised crime that has been running for a long period, owing to the huge investment made to sabotage the national economy.
“The GOCs who jointly addressed the troops charged them to ensure all illegal bunkering sites are destroyed. They also re-echoed the president and Commander-in-Chief’s directive on zero tolerance for illegal oil bunkering, charging troops to sustain the operational tempo against this mindless criminality.
“The GOCs said that if this illegality is allowed to continue, it will affect the Nigerian economy gravely. Additionally, it is believed that the proceeds from these illegalities are used to fund other crimes.
“Therefore, all hands must be on deck to deny the enemies of the state freedom of action and ensure that these streams of funding are completely dismantled.”
