Illegal refineries in Nigeria quashed

Illegal refineries have plagued Nigeria for many years. Since their inception, the Oil Facility Surveillance Team and Joint Task Force (JTF) have been deployed to find such operations and close them down.

In the most recent joint operation, 221 illegal refineries in the communities of Isaba, Isapama, Asugu and Eleme have been found and destroyed. In total, 15 camps had been created around these plants and they were also destroyed. Before the creation of the JTF and surveillance teams to track down illegal refineries, only 68% of crude oil pumped to legal refineries arrived, now, this figure has reached 98%.

The task force team was alerted to the illegal refining communities after the local police were alerted to a large arms buildup in the Escravos area. Authorities have now noticed that illegal refineries and storage site are now moving further afield to areas such as Gbaramatu Kingdom. Several people connected to the illegal plants in this latest shutdown operation were arrested.

Adapted from press release by Claira Lloyd.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/19092012/illegal_refineries_in_nigeria/