The crackdown on economic saboteurs have intensified with the arrest of 21 suspected oil thieves by the troops of 6 Division, Nigerian Army in the Niger Delta.
The troops also clamped down on 43 illegal refineries and deactivated them confiscating 120,000 litres of stolen products.
The Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lt.-Col. Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, said in Bayelsa State, that the troops, in conjunction with other security agencies, arrested 12 pipeline vandals at Ojobo Community in Ekeremor Local Government Area.
The suspects were arrested with a barge loaded with one swamp buggy, a tug boat and many vandalised Shell Production Development Company (SPDC) pipes.
He said: “Likewise, at Obotoro Creek and Babrogbene in Southern Ijaw LGA, troops destroyed an illegal refining site and intercepted a wooden boat as well as a reservoir with over 5500 litres of stolen products.
“Other items recovered from the site included 2 drums of Automotive Gas Oil, estimated to be 2,800 litres. Relatedly, One illegal refining site at Diebu Creek in Southern Ijaw with over 8000 litres was deactivated.
“The operations also yielded results around Binikurukuru axis of Igbomtoru and Tebidaba communities also in Southern Ijaw, where one wooden Canoe, loaded with over 2000 litres was intercepted with one suspect arrested.”