Three suspected oil thieves have been arrested by operatives of the Central Naval Command (CNC), of the Nigerian Navy, in Ekeremor Local Government, Bayelsa State.
It was gathered that the suspects said to be operators of illegal refineries and two of their boats christened, “Emmanuel”, were rounded up on June 4.
The Flag Officer Commanding, CNC, Rear Admiral Stanley Ogoigbe, said at the weekend that eight pumping machine allegedly used by the suspects to steal the product were seized by the naval operatives.
Ogoigbe, who handed the suspects over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for prosecution, said they were arrested along the creek of Bilabiri in the west senatorial district of the state.
He said the suspects were tricked into taking a naval patrol team to an illegal refinery camp in the deep mangrove.
He said their speedboat with the inscription, Emmanuel, gave them away as it was same with another previously recovered by the navy at the illegal refinery camp.
The FOC reinstated the determination of the command and other security agencies to intensify the ongoing war against crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other criminal activities in the Niger Delta.
He solicited the cooperation of the public in the war against economic sabotage.
