The air component of Operation Delta Safe has successfully obliterated seven illegal refining sites across various locations in Rivers State. Additionally, military aircraft bombed four boats laden with illegally refined products while en route southwards.
Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, the Director of Public Relations and Information for the Nigerian Air Force, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the operations took place on April 12 and 13, 2024, targeting communities such as Idama, Ogbomkiri, Arugbana, Ivy Island, and Samkiri in Rivers State.
Gabkwet highlighted previous successful strikes, including a December 2023 operation that destroyed six illegal oil refining sites in Opu Arugbana and a March 2024 mission that targeted two sites in Krakama and Temakiri, both in the Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The recent air strikes significantly curtailed the activities of economic saboteurs in the Niger Delta Region. In Idama, an active illegal refining site was discovered and neutralized, while reconnaissance missions over Yellow Island and Cawthorne Channel identified and destroyed four boats transporting illicitly refined products.
At Arugbana, oil thieves fled upon spotting approaching aircraft, abandoning their attempts to establish an illegal refining site. Similar operations were conducted over Ogbomkiri, Ivy Island, and Samkiri, resulting in the discovery and destruction of several illegal sites.