In a significant blow to oil thieves, troops of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, have dismantled 18 illegal refining sites and arrested 17 suspected oil thieves in the Niger Delta Region (NDR).
The operations, conducted from February 17 to 23, 2025, also resulted in the recovery of over 25,000 liters of stolen products.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, Acting Deputy Director of 6 Division Army Public Relations, the troops worked closely with other security agencies to dominate the operational landscape, denying criminal elements freedom of action.
He noted that the operations were carried out in several locations across the Niger Delta Region, including Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta States.
According to him, in Rivers State, troops destroyed two active illegal refining sites, intercepted three wooden boats loaded with over 9,000 liters of stolen crude, and impounded a truck loaded with over 3,000 liters of stolen crude.
In Bayelsa State, three illegal refining sites were dismantled, one pumping machine and over 3,500 liters of crude were recovered, and two wooden boats were demobilized.
Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma added that troops discovered an illegal oil bunkering dump with over 2,100 liters of illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO) stocked in sacks at Okwuzi in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (LGA).
In Delta State, troops intercepted a Toyota Camry conveying 16 cellophane bags with unspecified quantity of illegally refined AGO and arrested six suspected oil thieves. A tricycle conveying several sacks of illegally refined products was also intercepted by the troops along Ughelli-Patani expressway.
The General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Emmanuel Eric Emekah, commended the troops and charged them to sustain the operational tempo to deny economic saboteurs any freedom to carry out their nefarious activities in the NDR.
Enugu Reporters noted that fhis operation is a significant step in the fight against oil theft and economic sabotage in the Niger Delta Region.
The Nigerian Army’s efforts to disrupt and dismantle illegal refining operations are crucial in protecting the country’s economy and natural resources.
