N/Delta: Military Rejigging Ongoing Operations To Combat Crude Oil Theft – DHQ
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
The military high command has said that it is redesgning its ongoing operations to combat crude oil theft in the Niger/Delta region.
The Director, Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj. Gen. Edward Buba made this known in a statement on Friday, detailing the progress of ongoing military operations as at 19th July, 2024.
It will be recalled that President Bola Tinubu had earlier this week, given marching orders to the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, to curb the menace of crude oil theft and vandalism in the Niger/Delta area in the shortest possible time.
Consequently, the CDS vowed to eliminate all acts of vandalism and other forms of criminalities in not just the Niger Delta region alone, but the entire Southsouth.
He read the riot act to all security heads of Operation Delta Safe in the Niger Delta region, after the Armed Forces of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and other security agencies, on Tuesday declared a fresh war on perpetrators of oil theft in the region to improve oil production and revitalise the nation’s ailing economy.
Expatiating on the redesigned strategies to curb the menace, Buba said a comprehensive approach would be implemented, and that operations would be conducted through a unified command structure for all security agencies operating in the Niger Delta.
He disclosed that operations, which would target specific areas that have significant capability to boost crude oil production, include but are not limited to enforcing and ensuring transparency by International Oil Companies operating in the region and ensuring the integrity of the metering systems deployed at flow stations, adding that operations will embark on the tracking of point of loading to destination point of the crude oil.
“Furthermore, operations will also concentrate on surveillance of the pipelines, jackets and well head to forestall breaches.
“Overall, operations will galvanise the support of the people of the Niger Delta as well as the stakeholders in the oil sector to support the drive to boost the nations oil production.
“Importantly, operations will ensure prosecution of culprits engaged in crude oil theft”, he stated.
