JUST IN : over 8,000 illegal refineries destroyed in six months.
The deputy manager, command and control centre of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Murtala Muhammad, has disclosed that more than 8,000 illegal refineries have been destroyed within the last six months in the country.
Speaking on Saturday in Abuja during a stakeholders’ engagement session, Muhammad also said 5,800 illegal oil pipeline connections were detected and destroyed within the same period.
In a power point presentation on the menace of crude oil theft and its impact on Nigeria’s economy, Muhammad said oil theft and vandalisation of oil pipelines remained a threat to crude production in the country, listing Bayelsa, Rivers, Imo and Abia among others as the hot spots.
He said, “Over 8,000 illegal refineries and 5,800 illegal oil pipeline connections were detected and destroyed within the last six months.”