Warri — Fifty suspected oil bunkerers, including a Lebanese have been arrested by the operatives of Sector 1 Command of the Joint Task Force (JTF) code-named Operation Restore Hope, Warri, Delta State.

Three vessels, Tim Begele, MT Efemena and MT Leila were recovered from the oil thieves along with 20 Cotonou boats loaded with substance suspected to by crude oil and refined petroleum products worth several millions of naira.

Speaking to Journalists in Warri on Wednesday, Sector 1 Commander, Colonel Jamil Sarham said the achievement was recorded because of diligent efforts of his Field Commanders and their men.

He disclosed that while the Sector 1 Command destroyed 150 illegal oil refineries at Okpokunu and Oboro villages in Delta State, over 2000 drums of illegally refined petroleum products were further recovered from the suspects arrested at different times and locations.

"We also arrested four badges, six speedboats, 16 fuel tankers loaded with petroleum products, 10 vehicles made up of cars and buses, several surface tanks loaded with products and other items such as pumping machines, hose among others", the Commander added.

Col. Sarham who was in the briefing with the Coordinator of the Joint Media Campaign Centre (JMCC, Lt. Colonel Timothy, Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion, Colonel S.S. Ibrahim and Commanding Officer, 3rd Battalion, Lt. Colonel A.T. Lawal noted that operation of illegal oil refineries was becoming the in thing now because of inability of perpetrators to export crude oil again.

He said: "A new trend in the illegal oil theft is the operation of illegal refineries. This trend could be attributed to the inability of the illegal oil thieves to move crude oil through the waterways to the high seas due to effective blockade of the channels by the JTF troops. Consequently, the illegal oil thieves have resorted to refining crude oil locally and selling same locally".

The Sector Commander said the suspects were being interrogated and that at the end of the exercise handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigations and prosecution since crude oil theft formed part of economic crime related offences.

He commended the Media practitioners in Warri for the excellent coverage of the state in the recent past adding "We are partners in the progress of our country.