The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has disclosed that 83 illegal refineries have been uncovered in the Niger Delta in the last seven days.
The development was made known by the company on Tuesday in a statement on its X handle.
In the terse statement published by the NNPCL, the company said it discovered 15 illegal pipeline connections within the same period.
“In the past week, 15 illegal pipeline connections and 83 illegal refineries have been uncovered in the Niger Delta.
“83 illegal connections were spotted in Rivers, Abia, Imo and Bayelsa states”, the company said.
It added that 211 incidents of oil theft and vandalism were reported between 6th and 12th January, 2024.
Additionally, the company vowed to cripple the activities of oil thieves in the country.
In another development, an Ikeja High Court, on Monday, arraigned one Suleimon Lawal, who allegedly used an iron chair as a weapon to rob a woman of an iPhone.
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Lawal is facing a two-count charge of armed robbery and unlawful association.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to Lagos State counsel, Mrs B. Ojukutu-Shobande, the defendant committed the offences on Oct. 5, 2022, and Sept. 5, 2022, at Jetty Waterside, Bayeku, Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Ojukutu-Shobande informed the court that the defendant, armed with an iron chair, robbed one Ms Karimat Olugowora of an iPhone XR worth N180,000.
The prosecution counsel also told the court that on Sept. 5, 2022, it was discovered that the defendant belonged to an unlawful association known as Aiye confraternity.
Ojukutu-Shobande submitted that the alleged offences contravened Section 297 (2) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, and Section 2 (3) of the Unlawful Society and Cultism (Prohibition) Law of Lagos State, 2021.
Justice Adenike Coker remanded the defendant in a correctional centre, and adjourned the case until Feb. 12 for trial.