FG set up committee for illegal crude oil recovery

The Federal Government on Thursday set up an inter-ministerial committee on the recovery of the illegally refined petroleum products (crude oil) in the creeks of the Niger Delta.

The government said operatives of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Nigerian Security and Civil Service Corps will be effectively used in the fight against crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region.

The committee comprised representatives of the Nigerian Army, Navy, NSCDC, Defence Headquarters and the Federal Ministry of Defence.

Others in the committee were representatives of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Environment, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Department of Petroleum Resources and National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency.

The Solicitor-general of the Federation, Mallam Umar Mohammed, while inaugurating the committee, said that the committee was put in place in line with government directives on security and economy for efficient management of illegally refined petroleum recovered illegal operators in the creeks.

The charged the committee to detect, report, evacuate, assess and ensure transparent disposal of the product with due consideration to the environment.

The SGF announced that the Federal Ministry of Justice would coordinate the process and house the secretariat of the committee.

Mohammed expressed hope that the proceeds from the exercise would be a source of additional revenue for the country.