Dayo Johnson
07 January 2013, Sweetcrude, Akure — Over 35 illegal oil refineries and 18 local boats used by bunkerers were, weekend, destroyed by the Joint Task Force on Oil Bunkering operating in Ondo State.
The Joint Task Force which stormed the riverine communities burnt down all illegal refineries in a two-day operation in the coastal communities of Ondo, Edo and Delta states.
The operation was in conjunction with a private security outfit, Gallery Security Services Limited owned by an ex-militant High Chief Bebopiri Ajube that intercepted over 1.6 million litres of stolen crude last week.
The raid, which lasted over five hours, involved soldiers from the 19th Battalion in Okitipupa and Naval officers from the Forward Operation Base at Igbokoda.
The illegal refineries are hidden in the creeks of Dababilebu, Akitogbo, Adiloseimo, Obontonu and Akina-Zion communities.
