Air strikes from the air component of Operation Delta Safe have destroyed no fewer than 30 active illegal oil refining sites in Cawthorne Channel and Bille, in the Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.Also, storage tanks, reservoirs, and Cotonou boats suspected to be siphoning crude oil from a flow station were destroyed in the operations.
The Air Force Spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said in a statement on Sunday that over 30 illegal refining sites had been destroyed in the areas of Bille and Caawthorne in the last two months.
The statement read, “Air strikes conducted on Cawthorne Channel and Bille, both located in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, proved successful as seven illegal refining sites were identified and destroyed. In Cawthorne Channel, four active illegal refining sites with dug-out reservoirs and surface storage tanks suspected to contain illegal refined products were sighted on September 15, 2023. Subsequently, the sites were destroyed.