The Nigerian Army has announced that its troops from 6 Division have destroyed 12 illegal refining sites, arrested 16 suspects, and recovered approximately 70,000 litres of stolen petroleum products in the Niger Delta region.
The acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 6 Division, Lt Col Jonah Danjuma, in a statement on Sunday, said that troops, working alongside other security agencies, demobilised six boats and intercepted nine vandalised pipelines in a week-long operation across Rivers and three other states.
The statement read: “Troops of the 6th Division, Nigerian Army, while consolidating on the operational gains made, have destroyed 12 illegal refining sites, arrested 16 suspected oil thieves, demobilised six boats, intercepted nine vandalised pipes, and confiscated over 70,000 litres of stolen products across the joint operations area.”
According to the statement, the operations were conducted jointly with other security agencies from 27 January to 2 February 2025. It added that, during operations in Rivers State, troops intercepted two fully loaded suction trucks, each conveying 12,000 litres of stolen crude.
The trucks were intercepted along the Igwurita–Airport Road in Ikwerre Local Government Area.
“Additionally, following credible intelligence about a massive storage facility at a scrapyard, also along the Igwurita–Airport Road, troops confiscated over 10,000 litres of stolen products stored in several tanks at the yard,” it further stated.
The statement also revealed that clearance operations around the Imo River led to the destruction of three illegal refining sites, 43 cooking drum pots, 23 receivers, three fibre boats, and over 4,000 litres of stolen products in the Obigbo, Oyigbo, and Ukwa general areas.
According to the statement: “This was in addition to one locally fabricated double-barrel gun, suspected to have been abandoned by fleeing oil thieves upon sighting troops in the area.
“Along Ndoni waterside, also in ONELGA, troops discovered over 102 sacks filled with more than 5,100 litres of stolen AGO and Premium Motor Spirit, PMS. At Agah general area, 35 sacks filled with over 2,100 litres of illegally refined AGO were confiscated. Meanwhile, at Omoku, also in ONELGA, two oil thieves were apprehended with 14 sacks of condensates stored in their home.
“In Delta State, acting on credible intelligence, troops intercepted an abandoned locally constructed wooden boat containing over 3,160 litres of stolen crude within the Ashaka Okpai community water channel leading to the River Niger in Ndokwa East LGA.
“Additionally, eight sacks filled with an unquantified quantity of condensates along the Oando pipeline in Tuomo village, Bomadi, were intercepted and handled in line with the subsisting operational mandate.”
The statement also noted that in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, a suspected oil thief was arrested with over 1,100 litres of illegally refined AGO, among others.
