The Nigerian Navy, yesterday revealed that more than 150 illegal refineries have been destroyed in the three Niger Delta states of Akwa Ibom, Cross River and the Rivers States in the last seven months through the surveillance and defence operations of the Eastern Naval Command.
The Navy said hundreds of suspected illegal crude oil bunkers, as well as smugglers, were arrested and handed over to the respective supervisory government agencies for further investigation and prosecution.
The outgoing Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy Rear Admiral Mathew Emuekpere stated this during the official hand over to his successor and colleague Rear Admiral David Adeniran in Calabar, capital of Cross River state.
Emuekpere disclosed that the command brought smuggling activities in the axis of his supervision and responsibility to a halt because of the aggressive patrol and the many arrests it made. This made the area to almost become free from smugglers, he said.
He further disclosed that more than 13,803 bags of rice were impounded during the period under review and valued at N220 Million naira, at a unit cost of N16, 000 per bag.
Apart from rice, other banned items such as imported drinks, wines and spirits as well as stockfish and poultry products were also seized from recalcitrant smugglers, he added.
He stated that a total of 90 suspects were arrested with their vessels and barges for various offences, ranging from illegal oil bunkering, illegal export of petroleum products and other maritime crimes such as kidnapping and human trafficking.
The outgoing FOC appreciated the support he received from other sister security agencies in the area notably, the Police, Army, Airforce, and other paramilitary forces including NIMASA and customs in making him have a successful outing during the seven months of his leadership.
