The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it destroyed 10 illegal refineries in three states and seized 42 oil tankers used in diverting petroleum products to the black market.
The Commandant General of the Corps, Abdulahi Gana, told journalists in his country home in Minna that the operation was carried out between July and September.
“We destroyed three illegal refineries in Rivers state; within the week we destroyed five in Bayelsa and another two in Abia,” he said.
Gana expressed dismay that the Federal Government was losing much more oil revenue to the operations of oil thieves than it was receiving.
He said that the corps would continue to safeguard the country’s critical infrastructure and national assets to ensure that its development efforts remained on course.
Gana said that ensuring the security of the country was everybody’s business and should not be left to the government alone. He, therefore, urged Nigerians to report any suspicious persons or objects to any security agency nearest to them.
By Pita Ochai
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