Navy deploys swamp buggies to ‘completely destroy’ illegal refineries

The Nigerian Navy ship Delta has begun the use of swamp buggies to destroy illegal refineries in Delta creeks.

A swamp buggy is an amphibious vehicle used to traverse a swampy terrain.

The commander of NNS DELTA, Ibrahim Dewu, flagged off the crushing of illegal refineries on Wednesday at Isara Creek in Escravos, Warri South-West local government area of Delta.

He said that the deployment of the buggies would bring a lasting solution to illegal refinery business in the Niger Delta.

The commander noted that the perpetrators of the illicit act kept returning to it in spite of efforts of the navy to eliminate it.

Dewu said that the deployment of the buggies would make it difficult for the saboteurs to restart the business since their facilities would be crushed completely.

The commodore said that the crackdown would last for a week, adding that all illegal refineries, including storage tanks and pipes, would be crushed.

“We flagged off this exercise today; our men in the Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Escravos will continue from there while we continue from our own side,” he said.

“We have been destroying illegal refineries and they keep reactivating them.

“What will bring a lasting solution to the problem is the use of swamp buggies to destroy the whole facilities; it will not be easy for them to go back there and work.

“We destroyed a lot of illegal refineries today with the swamp buggies.”

The navy officer said that many of the illegal refineries were located close to abandoned oil well heads and oil pipelines.

According to him, the NNS Delta began the crushing from creeks near the Warri naval base and later moved towards Escravos to effectively comb the creeks and nip the illegalities in the bud.