The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has announced that it has carried out air strikes against illegal oil refineries and boats in Rivers State, as part of its Operation Delta Safe.
The air strikes, which took place on 27 and 28 November 2023, destroyed an illegal refining site (IRS) with equipment and reservoirs loaded with illegal products at Yellow Island near Bonny Island, as well as two Cotonou boats sighted at Arugbana near Okrika. The NAF also said that it observed several other destroyed and abandoned IRS in the area, which were previously targeted by the Air Component of the operation.
The NAF Spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, confirmed the air strikes in a statement on Wednesday, saying that they were aimed at curbing the activities of economic saboteurs and oil thieves in South-south Nigeria.
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He claimed that as part of Operation Delta Safe, a combined military operation comprising the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force as well as other security agencies, airstrikes were carried out by NAF aircraft.
The statement claims that two Cotonou boats that were spotted in Arugbana, close to Okrika—a Rivers State town well-known for its oil and gas industry—were destroyed by the airstrikes on November 28, 2023. The statement added that on the same day, the aircraft destroyed an operational IRS near Yellow Island, close to Bonny Island, an island in the Niger Delta region that is home to a significant crude oil export terminal, along with its equipment and reservoirs filled with illicit goods.
Similar airstrikes were conducted on November 27, 2023, in Rivers State, southeast of Abisse, where an operational IRS was hidden with reservoirs and a storage tank suspected of holding illegally processed products, according to the statement.
According to the statement, the aircraft engaged and destroyed the storage tanks and reservoirs. The discovery of materials bundled in sacks that appeared to contain stolen crude oil led to the attack on a second location northwest of Omama.
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The statement also stated that a retinue of destroyed and abandoned IRS, which had previously been destroyed by the Air Component of Operation Delta Safe, was discovered during following reconnaissance flights over Cawthorne Channel, Bille, Dariama, Okrika, Bonny Island, and Idama.
According to the statement, these sites stayed dormant, suggesting that the operation’s tactics might be having the desired effect.
The message continued by stating that unless the saboteurs’ operations were either totally stopped or drastically reduced, the Air Component of Operation Delta Safe would continue to perform its assigned duties. In addition, the statement asked for cooperation from the public by supplying reliable information about the whereabouts and activities of the illicit oil refineries and vessels.
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