The Nigerian Navy has arrested six suspected pipeline vandals alleged to be operating illegal refineries in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, just as the Army announced that it had killed one sea pirate and arrested four persons while trailing killers of two soldiers in Bayelsa State.

A statement issued on Thursday by the Director of Navy Information, Christian Ezekobe, a Commodore, said that the arrested persons who are now being questioned were picked up at a large warehouse located at Ogbogoro Uzoba waterside around Choba in Port Harcourt Rivers State during a raid.

Ezekobi stated that the raid was “in continuation of the Chief of the Naval Staff’s strong resolve to stamp out all forms of crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, illegal refineries and other unwholesome activities that have impacted negatively on the security and economic development of Nigeria.”

He said further that the warehouse is suspected to be used as a storage facility for illegally refined products and that officers deployed from NNS Pathfinder recovered several items from the facility including three wooden boats containing about 20,000 litres of suspected illegally refined AGO, 350 drums, tanks ranging and seven pumping machines.

In a related development, Ezekobi said that another Navy patrol team deployed from NNS DELTA discovered and destroyed two illegal refineries in Jones creek in Warri South West local Government area of Delta State.

He added that the team destroyed other items at the facilities including a boat laden with about 66,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil, four GP storage tanks measuring 500 litres contain 2,000 metric tons of products suspected to be illegally refined AGO. Other recovered items are 50 Jerry cans measuring 50 litres each containing 2.5 MT of products suspected to be illegally refined AGO, pumping machine, large metal tanks and a boat.

In Bayelsa State, the Army in a statement on Thursday signed by the spokesman of Operation Pulo Shield operating in the Niger Delta, said that troops on the trail of those who killed two soldiers and kidnapped a construction firm expatriate have made four arrests.

“Troops of Operation PULO SHIELD while on cordon and search Operation in Idema community in Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa on 9 April 2016 encountered some gunmen close to the Community suspected to be sea pirates,” Ado said.

“The pirates engaged the troop in a gun battle before they were over powered by the superior fire power of the troops which led to the death of one of the gunmen while others escaped with gunshot injuries,” he said further.

He said that the team recovered an AK 47 Rifle and two loaded magazines, nine mobile GSM telephones and three walkie talkies.