The Nigerian Navy Ship, Pathfinder, has destroyed an illegal refinery in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.
According to The PUNCH, the illegal refinery, which had a capacity of three million liters, was located within Cawthorne Channel 2 on the coast of the state.
The facility allegedly steals crude oil from a wellhead in Oil Mining Lease-18 operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited and Sahara Energy.
It was also reported that the operation was carried out by the Tactical Assault Squadron of the NNS
The Commander, NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Desmond Igbo, who conducted newsmen around the illegal refinery on Wednesday expressed annoyance that the suspected oil thieves were steadily sabotaging the nation’s economy.
Igbo further said the miscreants were also destroying the environment, saying they had installed a six-inch pipeline running over 2km from the wellhead to the three million liters capacity reservoir, which distributes crude to the six illegal refining camps.
He stated, “This is not the best way to earn a living. There are so many ways to earn a living instead of damaging the environment and also they are depriving the Federal Government of the needed revenue.”
The Commander, who supervised the disconnection of the illegal pipeline from the wellhead and the destruction of the camps, warned youths to desist from illicit activities to make quick money and embrace legitimate means of livelihood.
