By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini
In a major operation across the Niger Delta, troops have dismantled seven illegal oil refining sites and recovered over 109,000 litres of stolen petroleum products valued at over One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira.
The operations, conducted by the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in conjunction with other security agencies between November 10 and 23, 2025, also led to the arrest of four suspected oil thieves.
According to a statement from the Division’s Acting Deputy Director of Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, the recovered items include over 88,000 litres of stolen crude oil and 21,355 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), commonly known as diesel.
The crackdown yielded significant results in Rivers State, where troops deactivated three illegal refining sites in Okolomade, Ahoada West LGA, seizing over 40,000 litres of crude and 20,000 litres of AGO alongside equipment like large pots and receivers.
Further operations at the Imo River fringes in Oyigbo LGA led to the discovery of three more sites with over 14,700 litres of stolen crude.
In a separate raid in Abuloma, Okrika LGA, acting on intelligence, troops uncovered a compound storing about 32,000 litres of stolen crude in 1,050 sacks.
Other successes were recorded in Akwa Ibom and Delta States. In Akwa Ibom, a raid on a storage facility in Abak LGA led to the recovery of over 520 litres of illegally refined AGO.
In Delta State, suspects fled an operation at the DAEWOO yard in Ekpan, abandoning wooden boats and 75 litres of crude oil.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division, Major General Emmanuel Eric Emekah, commended the troops for their resilience and charged them to sustain the offensive against economic saboteurs.
He also urged residents of the region to support the military by providing credible intelligence on criminal activities.