Nigerian Navy Says It Stopped Refinery Attack By Militants

Nigerian Navy says it stopped refinery attack by militants

THE Nigerian Navy said a loud blast on September 29 near the jetty of the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) and the Pipeline Products Marketing Company (PPMC) resulted from a foiled attempt by militants to attack both facilities in Ekpan, Uvwie council area, Delta state

According to a report in The Vanguard, Commodore Joseph Dzunve of the Nigerian Navy said the loud blast heard in Warri creek that morning followed naval forces firing on a boat suspected of carrying explosive materials, causing the explosion. He said the occupants of the boat were attempting to sabotage the PPMC.

Militant groups, including the Niger Delta Avengers, have launched a number of attacks on oil industry infrastructure in Delta state so far this year. They claim the Nigerian state siphons off almost all of the revenue from the industry, leaving very little for the local population.

The Nigerian Army also said it had destroyed 143 illegal refineries during its Operation Crocodile Smile in the Niger Delta region. At the same time, the Nigerian Navy said that it had arrested four crude oil thieves who specialised in illegally refining crude oil into automotive gas oil with 85 large drums of AGO destroyed by the Navy and Operation Delta Safe.