On Thursday, the Nigerian Army’s 82 Division carried out a major operation, “Operation Dragon Spit,” destroying over 33 illegal refineries in the Obuaku and Imo Rivers areas of the Ipu West communities in Ukwa West Local Government Area, Abia State.
The operation, supervised by Major General Hassan Dada, General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Enugu, led to the destruction of more than 33 refineries, the arrest of 21 suspects, and the burning of six vehicles and over 12 boats.
Speaking to journalists, Major General Dada remarked, “What we discovered here is unbelievable compared to what we found at Obuaku last time. The Obuaku discovery pales in comparison to today’s findings. We have counted over 30 illegal refineries so far, and the count is still ongoing. This is just one phase of Operation Dragon Spit. We are continuously monitoring, and the operation is still ongoing.”
All I am assuring is that for anybody who is an economic saboteur, it is just a matter of time to face the consequences.
In as much as Operation Dragon Spit, under the auspices of Operation Udoka, is going on, we will not relent in our efforts to make sure that all the culprits are brought to book.
“We cannot, as we have been mandated, allow this amount of economic sabotage and degradation of the environment. No stone will be left unturned to make sure that oil bunkering will not be allowed within the area of responsibility of Operation Udoka.”