Operatives of the Joint Military Taskforce (JTF) yesterday  at two separate locations in Bayelsa State arrested 25 suspected illegal bunkerers at about 5pm along the coast of Akassa and Elekpa in Brass local government, Bayelsa State.

Seventeen of the suspects were nabbed at Akassa , while the other eight were apprehended at Elekpa.

A marine vessel MV Tamuno Ibi with illegally refined diesel of 600,000 litres was also impounded and burnt along the Akassa sea, just as the security agency also seized two barges and one tug boat with illegal products at Elekpa.

The suspects were being detained at the JTF headquarters and State Security Service(SSS) in Yenagoa.

This is coming barely four days after the JTF operatives had arrested another six suspects and also destroyed an oil tanker allegedly involved in an illegal oil bunkering at Otuogori,Ogbia local government of the state.

Spokesman of JTF in the Niger Delta, Lt. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, who disclosed this to journalists at Akassa, while parading the suspects and the confiscated marine vessel, said  they were caught by troops of 5 Battalion of the security outfit patrolling the water routes.

Nwachukwu said the captain of the vessel one Edwin David, had tendered a Nigerian Navy permit to enable the vessel load products in Brass terminal,  saying that the authenticity of the permit had not been ascertained as at the time of speaking to the press.

The Media Co-ordinator said they were supposed to load at Barge Lohi in Brass terminal, but diverted to Akassa because they were involved in illegal business .

He declared, “in line with our mandate to destroy any vessel ,any canoe ,any ship that is found with illegal product, without mincing words, this is to send a very strong signal to all those that are engaged in illegal oil bunkering and oil refinery to desist from it because the Joint Taskforce, Operation Pulo Shield ,will not spare any effort ,any individual or group of persons who is involved in this illicit activity.”

Continuing, he said,” of course, we have interrogated the captain of the vessel and he has confessed right in your presence here that he was supposed to actually load at the Brass terminal. However, his boss directed him to the creeks where he had illegitimately siphoned crude oil up to about 600,000 litres .”

In an interview with journalists, captain of the vessel Edwin David ,claimed he was directed by his boss ,Dagogo Eli to load the products at Akassa creeks instead of Brass terminal.

David claimed that the owner of the product was one Douglas of PWS Integrated Services, Port Harcourt and that this was his first time of loading products illegally.