Lagos – The Defence Headquarters say troops of Operation Delta Safe have deactivated 51 illegal refineries in the last two weeks.
It said the refineries had a total of 76 ovens, 52 cooking pots/boilers, 22 cooling systems, 102 reservoirs, 16 large dugout pits and 513 storage tanks.
The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, made this known while giving update on the military operations across the country on Thursday in Abuja.
Onyeuko said the deactivated sites which also had drums and sacks laden with illegally refined oil, were discovered in Rivers, Abia, Cross Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Imo states.
He said that a total of 23 criminal elements were arrested and 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, five cartridges, two AK-47 rifles, and one double-barrel gun were recovered in the course of the operations.