Navy seizes 750,000 litres of AGO in Port Harcourt
Adebayo Obajemu
The Nigerian Navy Tuesday discovered an illegal oil bunkering site and seized 750,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil also known as diesel, in Abonnema Wharf, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Desmond Igbo, stated that the raid on the illegal bunkering site was in line with the mandate of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, to end illegal oil bunkering activities and crude oil theft in the Niger Delta and other parts of the nation.
Commodore Igbo, who described illegal oil bunkering and crude oil theft as an act of sabotaging the nation’s economy, vowed that he was fully determined to end the menace within NNS Pathfinder’s area of operation.
He said, “This is another illegal oil bunkering site in Port Harcourt. As you can see, we have lots of drums fully loaded with these illegally refined products. We also have some loaded in the bags. Here, we have not less than 750,000 litres of AGO illegally refined by criminals stocked here.
“Last time, we were at Bokokiri creeks in Degema, but these oil thieves have devised a new means to even come to the town. This is Abonema Wharf, a community right inside the city of Port Harcourt, the state capital.”
The NNS Pathfinder boss who noted that the illegal bunkering site poses a danger to residents and those doing business in the area, said the confiscated products would be handed over to the appropriate authority for necessary action.
He further advised those involved in the act of sabotaging the nation’s economy to refrain and engage in legal business to earn a decent living.
“Apart from being saboteurs of the nation’s economy by stealing this oil, it is also an act of environmental degradation. They also constitute a danger to the citizens and properties of people around here because, if there is any form of fire outbreak, it will burn down the entire community. We will not allow this to continue.
“The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogala has given us this mandate to go to the creeks, the water and the land to make sure that crude oil theft in Niger Delta is put to an end.
“We will not relent and we won’t be deterred even with all forms of sabotage and blackmails, we will continue to do the right thing both day and night to ensure this act of economic sabotage stops.”
