600 Illegal Refineries Destroyed in Delta State

Fear gripped the people of Mango Village, and those around the Gbekebor waterways in Burutu Local Government yesterday when the 3 Battalion of Nigerian Army, Effurun, and Joint Task Force, JTF, destroyed over 600 illegal refineries located in those areas.

Lt. Col. Ifeanyi Otu, Commanding Officer, 3 Battalion who led the operations that lasted more than 4 hours, described those behind the illegal business as “economic saboteurs”.

He equally blamed the perpetrator for compounding the problem of environmental degradation in the areas as a result of their illegal business, advising them to change the line of their business in order to become successful. He warned that the JTF would put an eye on possible sites where those refineries could be situated and make sure they are all destroyed within this period.

He said:”This is a very terrible situation. It is an act of economic sabotage that the Federal Government is preaching against. No decent society should condone it. We will continue to destroy them and also carry out enlightenment campaigns for people to realise that this is not the right business to embark upon because the damage is enormous. You can also see the environmental degradation wreaked on the ecosystem for selfish reasons. I advise them to desist from it.”

Destroyed in the operation were more than  2,000 drums, 1,000 surface tanks, four Cotonou locally made boats, several hoses, three pumping machines, two generating sets, filling machines and many operating huts.