By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos
Oil thieves, illegal miners and their accomplices are in for hard times in the Niger Delta Region as the Air Component of Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) continue to strike at the heart of their activities.
At least, three boats in which crude oil was being siphoned from a pipeline, were destroyed at the weekend by the Air men at South – East of Bills, a Riverine area of Bony Island and South of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In the same vein the troop also destroyed an illegal refining site with tanks and reservoirs loaded with suspected illegal refined products.
The Director of Public Relations and Information Nigerian Air Force, Edward Gabkwet, an Air Commodore made the disclosure in a release made available to New Nigerian Newspaper on Monday.
It reads, ” One of such operations occurred on Saturday 5 August 2023 at about 4 Nautical Miles South-East of Bille, a riverine area located west of Bonny Island and South of Port Harcourt, in Rivers State.
” The air strikes became necessary after three boats were sighted tapping crude oil from a pipeline. Consequently, the boats were engaged and destroyed by the aircraft.
” Flying towards Port Harcourt, the crew also observed an active illegal refining site with tanks and reservoirs loaded with suspected illegal refined products, about four miles South-east of Idama in Rivers State. The site was subsequently attacked and destroyed.
“Air strikes against these economic saboteurs will be sustained until they desist from their acts of thievery and economic sabotage.
“The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has since directed all air component commanders nationwide to ensure they team up with other security agencies as they sustain air strikes on all criminal elements in the country.
“The days of treating criminal elements in our country with kids’ gloves is over. We must continue on this trajectory until we bring all of them to their knees.”
