(Ecofin Agency) - 21 suspects have been arrested and six illegal refineries destroyed in Delta, Edo and Bayelsa by the the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta, with the codenamed Operation Pulo Shield for various criminal activities in the region ranging from oil theft, kidnapping, piracy and illegal oil bunkering.

Coordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre of Operation Pulo Shield, Lt. Col. Ado Isa, said in a statement that the items recovered from the suspects were rolls of stolen armored cable, two circuit breakers, twelve cut-outs and two saw blades.

Other items, according to the spokesman, were bags of substances suspected to be Cannabis Sativa. He said the recovered items were in the custody of JTF for preliminary investigation before being handed over to the relevant prosecuting agencies.

According to him, the troops apprehended an illegal oil bunkering tanker laden with 33,000 litres of substances suspected to be illegally refined Automated Gas Oil (diesel).

He said the products were suspected to have been illegally siphoned from the NNPC pipeline.

The spokesman added, “The Sector 2 of the JTF operating along Gbenekrukru general area of Southern Ijaw LGA of Bayelsa destroyed six illegal bunkering sites where oil thieves operate with  four storage tanks, illegal oil storage pits and drums filled with illegally acquired AGO.” “Other items include hoses and pumping machine. The items and the sites were destroyed in line with the JTF’s mandate in the region.”