Nigeria launches special operation to tackle oil theft

Lagos, Nigeria | Xinhua | The Nigerian Navy on Friday launched a special operation to stop oil thieves from further sabotaging the nation’s oil and gas installations.

Awwal Gambo, the country’s chief of naval staff, who spoke at the launch of the operation, blamed the nation’s economic downturn on attacks on oil and gas facilities by saboteurs.

He said about 40 warships, 200 gunboats, five helicopters, the Special Boat Service, and several other units would take part in the three-month operation.

“We will identify where the problem (breach on pipelines) is,” he said, adding that they will track the oil thieves and secure the pipelines for the economic prosperity of the country.

He said the navy was fully committed to eliminating all acts of criminality in Nigeria’s maritime environment and the Gulf of Guinea.

“We will use this operation to dominate the nation’s backwaters through aggressive and intelligence-driven patrols,” he added