The Joint Task Force (JTF) have recovered about 4.2 million litres of crude oil allegedly stolen in the Niger Delta region of the country.
According to Vanguard, one of the JTF team leaders, Captain Sunday Olaleye, 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.
It was learnt that one of the vessels was arrested in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State while the other was arrested in Forcados, Warri waterways, in Delta State.
Olaleeye further explained that nine out of the 10 compartments in the vessel arrested in Forcados, were filled with crude oil.
According to him, one compartment contained 330,000 litres of crude oil which according to him, can fill a truck.
But for the quick response of the team following a tip-off, the two ships would haveescaped.
He said, “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.”
