The Navy said the illegal oil mining activities around the area were spotted by its Patrol Helicopter on July 11 led to the dismantling of the multiple pipelines buried in the ground.
The excavation exercise was done in collaboration with the operators of the well, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
Commander of Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder, Commodore Suliaman Ibrahim while addressing newsmen at the site, over the weekend, expressed shock at the level of sophistication of the oil thieves, saying such large-scale theft cannot be masterminded by petty thieves or amateurs but a syndicate of high-level experts.
Commodore Ibrahim also disclosed that the Navy is already doing something in tracking the people involved, just as he assured the general public that all those involved will be arrested and be prosecuted.
