Port Harcourt, Rivers State – By Prime Brief Media
The Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder has handed over 11 suspected oil thieves to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Port Harcourt, following their arrest in the Cawthorne Channel area of Rivers State.
Commodore Adams Aliu, Director of Naval Information, confirmed the handover in a statement on Monday. He said the suspects were intercepted during a routine patrol, aboard a large wooden boat laden with an estimated 50,000 litres of illegally refined diesel and crude oil. The vessel and products were also handed over to the NSCDC for further investigation and possible prosecution.
"The Nigerian Navy remains resolute in its fight against crude oil theft and illegal refining. We will continue to deny criminals the freedom to plunder our national resources," Commodore Aliu said.
The handover is the latest in a series of operations targeting illegal bunkering activities in the Niger Delta. The Navy has intensified patrols following the declaration of a state of emergency on crude oil theft by the Federal Government. Nigeria's oil production has risen to a five-year high of 1.71 million barrels per day, partly attributed to the crackdown on oil theft.
Prime Brief Media will follow industry reactions and corporate disclosures as this story progresses.
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