Operatives of Daven Oil and Security Enterprises, one of the Federal Government pipeline security contractors in the Niger Delta, in collaboration with the Joint Task Force, JTF, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, have detected more than nine illegal crude oil refinery sites with a combined total daily production estimated to be more than one million barrels in three communities in Bayelsa State.
The discovery of the sites by the joint team was executed under Operation No More Smoke, embarked on by Daven Security Enterprises, aimed at ridding the region of illegal oil bunkering activities.
The illegal refineries commonly called kpofire in local parlance were uncovered in Okordia/Zarama/Biseni communities in Yenagoa local government area and the boundary communities of Ibelebiri and Otuege(Agba) in Ogbia local government of the state.
Spokesman and Mobilization Officer of Daven Oil and Security Enterprises, Okardi Yogo, spoke on the incident at the site of one of the busted illegal refineries, located eight kilometres inside the swamp forest of Zarama Clan, said that a total number of nine sites had so far been uncovered during the operation.
He gave the details of the operation saying that, “This is a baby operation, Daven Oil and Security Limited is one of the pipelines surveillance security taking charge of a section of the Niger Delta.
“We are here kick-starting the ‘Operations No More Smoke’, we are on discovery sessions, which have yielded good results.
“Based on intelligence reports and support from our grand patron, General Amagbein Boro, we were able to uncover sites with about 15 oven (tanks) with a capacity of 450,000 litres daily production in Okordia/Zarama/Biseni in Yenagoa council.
“We had difficulty accessing the sites because they are tucked away about eight kilometres across the Taylor Creek in the swamp forest. We trekked for more than three hours before we got to the locations. We also discovered that the operators were tapping (sourcing) their production from Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, pipelines in the area.
“We have also visited sites in Ibelebiri and Agba communities in Ogbia council of Bayelsa State and we have also uncovered in these areas, many tanks been constructed by illegal refineries operators with production capacity of more than 500,000 barrels per day, and one of the standouts of that operation was the visible environmental impact. We saw a two hectares of land totally destroyed by activities of artisanal crude oil refining.
“We will continue to uncover more and fetch them out from the roots. Our mandate is to protect the environment and oil facilities to boost oil production and the Nigerian economy, that is the task given to us and we will continue to collaborate and sensitize the communities and work with the leaders of the community.”
He warned that oil theft and all forms of vandalism would no longer be tolerated, calling on the stakeholders to come together in order to actualize the dream of having modular refineries in the region.
He assured that the security team would continue to engage in more technical operations until oil theft becomes a thing of the past.
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