"The illegal refining site is hidden away at the core of Nembe Creek, and it took the deployment of high-resolution drones to discover this site."
The Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base in Brass, Bayelsa, has destroyed 10 illegal refinery sites in Nembe Local Government Area of the state.
The navy also destroyed a speedboat and seized 100,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil.
The Commanding Officer of the Forward Operating Base, Ifeanyichukwu Mabeokwu, a navy captain, disclosed this while speaking with reporters during the operation on Thursday.
Mr Mabeokwu said his team carried out the operation and subsequent destruction in line with the navy's aspiration to decimate illegal refining sites and crude oil theft in the Niger Delta.
"My team and I are here to carry out deactivation operations in these illegal refining sites.
"As you can see, there is a large one with over 10 refining units; it has, cumulatively, about 80 litres of illegally refined AGO and 100,000 litres of stolen crude oil respectively.
"The illegal refining site is hidden away at the core of Nembe Creek, and it took the deployment of high-resolution drones to discover this site.
"Now it has been discovered, we are going to do everything possible to see that this does not exist and will cease from this moment.
"The discovery was made early this morning at about 0630-7000 hours," he said.
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According to the commanding officer, the team met all the ovens still active on arrival, to prove illegal activities were ongoing just before they (suspects) sensed the naval presence and fled.
"I believe they heard the sound of our gunboat, and they abandoned the site. As we arrived here, nobody was seen," he said.
Mr Mabeokwu said the navy, under the leadership of the Chief of Naval Staff, Emmanuel Ogalla, will stay committed to maintaining the security and safety of the Nigerian maritime domain.
According to him, the navy will continue to facilitate a conducive environment for legitimate businesses to flourish and contribute to the nation's economic progress.
He, therefore, warned those who indulge in such illegitimate businesses to desist, promising that the navy would not allow them to find peace.
(NAN)
