The National Oil Corporation has warned over lack of security and protection as Zawiya refinery, saying this could lead to complete suspension of operations.

In a statement, the NOC said a number of criminal incidents have occurred in spite of the presence of a security brigade guarding the refinery.

“The most serious being the October 2nd attack on refinery employees; resulting in one employee being kidnapped (later released) and company cars and personal property stolen. More recently, on October 10th a group of gunmen mounted an assault on the refinery, attacking industrial security personnel in an attempt to break open the oil mixing facility for personal gain - stealing a company vehicle in the process.” The statement reads.

The NOC called on state authorities to intervene and tackle this security issue immediately.