The Joint Task Force (JTF) has recovered 4.2 million litres of allegedly stolen crude oil in the Niger Delta region.
Captain Sunday Olaleye, who leads one of the JTF teams said that the discovery was made in two vessels which were arrested by Operation Pulo Shield, an anti-illegal bunkering and oil theft outfit of the JTF.
According to him, the team discovered that of the 10 compartments in the vessel arrested in Forcados, Delta State, nine were filled with crude oil. The second vessel was arrested in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State
Olaleye told newsmen that one compartment contained 330,000 litres of crude oil, enough to fill a big tanker.
“When you multiply 330,000 litres of crude oil by nine compartments, you have 2,970 million litres. That is for the ship that was intercepted around Forcados. Besides, the ship seized in Okrika region has four compartments filled with crude oil. When you multiply 330,000 litres of crude oil by four, you have 1.32 millon litres. Altogether, over 4.2 million litres of stolen crude oil was recovered in two separate operations carried out by JTF.
“Immediately we were informed that the ships were planning to escape, we swung into action. We arrested the ships. When we moved closer to the ship that was arrested around Forcados area, the sailors and other crude members escaped through a boat they snatched on the river,” Olaleye said.
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