By Emma Arubi
WARRI—OFFICERS of the Nigerian Navy, NNS Delta, Warri, yesterday, arrested two suspected oil thieves with crude worth over N100 million in a Cotonou boat at Elekebo village in Burutu Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects, (names withheld), according to the Commanding Officer, NNS Delta, Warri, Commodore Henry Babalola, who paraded them before newsmen, were intercepted by officers and men  of the Nigerian Navy following intelligence report about their activities.

Said he, “in the early hours of this morning (Wednesday), we got an information about the movement of Cotonou boats filled with stolen crude oil. We sent our officers and men after them. They returned with the suspects and the Cotonou boats containing stolen crude oil.”

Commodore Babalola said that the Joint Task Force, JTF, and the Naval Task Group had succeeded in checking the activities of illegal oil refineries, which gave rise to the activities of local illegal oil bunkering.

He expressed doubt that such refineries were being resuscitate.

He assured that the security agencies were up to the task of containing the activities of the illegal bunkerers and advised them to engage themselves in legal business or face the consequences of their criminal activities.

One of the suspects, John Tombara, told newsmen that they are boat drivers hired for the movement of the stolen crude but refused to disclose the identity of their sponsor.

Commodore Babalola said the crude oil would be moved into a surface tank in the Naval Base, after which the officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC and Shell Petroleum Development Company would be invited to evaluate the product.