Illegal Refineries Resurface At Mbiama

Vanguard

8 June 2011

Illegal Refineries Resurface At Mbiama

Barely four months after the Joint Task Force on Niger Delta codenamed Operation Restore Hope destroyed no fewer than 500 illegal refineries along the Orashi River at Mbiama, a border settlement between Rivers and Bayelsa States the operators of the illegal refineries are again back in business.

Security operatives from 5 Battalion of the Joint Taskforce on the Niger Delta backed by two helicopter gunship and a gunboat had sometime late in February launched an attack on the base at Mbiama believed to the hub of the illicit business off the East-West road straddling the state of the Niger Delta destroying seized adulterated fuel and equipment used in the illegal trade worth over N15million.

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But few months after the military operation which completely destroyed operations at the sprawling base located in the dense jungle tucked away from the prying eyes Vanguard investigation revealed that the operators of the trade had since regrouped and carrying out their nefarious trade.

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“There is no way the security operatives can feign ignorance of what is going on there. As you can see the smoke from that forest is a confirmation that it is again business as usual for these illegal refineries operators,” .....