Operation Pulo Shield arrests 5 suspected oil thieves

Operation Pulo Shield, the joint military operation deployed to protect oil installation in Niger Delta, has arrested five suspected oil thieves and seized more than 140,000 litres of suspected stolen diesel.

This is contained in a statement issued by the spokesman of Operation Pulo Shield, Lt.-Col. Isa Ado in Yenagoa on Saturday.

Ado stated that Nigerian Navy Ship Delta, a maritime component of the operation patrolling along Benneth Island in Delta, arrested a boat laden with Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) suspected to be stolen.

"A total of 14 tanks containing 10,000 litres each of illegally refined AGO and four dump sites of suspected stolen crude oil were also discovered.

"The sites were destroyed while the suspects were taken into custody for preliminary investigation,’’ Ado said in the statement.

He further stated that the Sector 2 of the operation in conjunction with Naval Forward Operation Base, during patrol along Akassa creek in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa, destroyed several illegal oil bunkering sites.

"The sites, four tanks containing stolen crude, three pumping machines and hoses were destroyed in line with the Operation Pulo Shield’s mandate,’’ he said.