Troops of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, have seized over 32,000 litres of stolen petroleum products and arrested 69 suspects in a two-week clampdown on oil theft across the Niger Delta region.
The operations, this week, mark one of the most extensive anti-oil theft crackdowns in recent months, targeting hotspots in Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom States.
According to a statement by the Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, the troops also deactivated nine illegal refining sites in collaboration with other security agencies.
In Delta State, two trucks conveying over 15,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) were intercepted in Sapele, leading to the arrest of three suspects. Additional recoveries in Nana Town, Warri North.
He said: “In Rivers State, three illegal refining sites were dismantled in Degema, yielding 7,000 litres of stolen products and a wooden boat. Troops also intercepted boats carrying stolen condensates in Omoku and recovered 1,500 litres of condensate near an illegal connection point.
“Operations in Oyigbo and Okrika led to further seizures.”
“Similar raids in Andoni and along the Imo River uncovered stolen petroleum products, pipes, and valves, while two refining sites were destroyed in Obuzor and Oyigbo.
“In Bayelsa, troops discovered two reservoirs with 7,000 litres of stolen crude at Biseni, and in Akwa Ibom.”
The suspects have been handed over to appropriate authorities for prosecution, while seized products are being managed in line with operational mandates.
Hauwa Abu