ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigeria’s military said on Thursday it has recovered millions of litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petrol after destroying 45 illegal refining sites in the Niger Delta.
The crude oil thefts and illegal refining have caused a major headache for the oil sector in Africa’s biggest economy, which is facing fuel shortages after deliveries of gasoline containing too much methanol.
The military said operations carried out in the past two weeks recovered 2.53 million litres of illegally refined petrol and 2.81 million litres of stolen crude oil. It destroyed 127 metal storage tanks and nine tankers among other equipment.
Local authorities have begun a crackdown to try put a stop to illegal refining of stolen crude, which officials say is worsening air pollution in the Delta and causing respiratory problems for some residents.
The military in the West African country, also the continent’s biggest energy producer, said in a statement that 50 galvanized pipes were illegally connected to pipelines and it arrested 12 people for damaging pipelines.
High unemployment in the Niger Delta has made illegal crude refining an attractive business. It involves tapping of crude from a maze of pipelines owned by oil majors and burning it at high temperature in makeshift tanks.
The hazardous process adds another layer of pollution in a region that has endured oil spills and ruined farmlands, creeks and lagoons for decades.
Last week, an oil vessel storing up to 60,000 barrels of crude exploded offshore in Nigeria, spilling more oil.
(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
