By HeapNews
In a relentless push to sustain the fight against oil theft and economic sabotage in the Niger Delta, troops of the Nigerian Army’s 6 Division, in collaboration with other security agencies, have intensified operations, resulting in significant successes. Over the past week, 37 illegal refining sites were destroyed, and various vehicles and equipment used for transporting stolen crude oil were confiscated. A total of 230,000 litres of stolen products were recovered, eight suspects arrested and various vehicles used in transporting the stolen oil recovered.
The troops have intensified efforts to secure compromised pipelines and frustrate attempts to steal crude across the region. In Rivers State, a significant bust occurred in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area (LGA), where troops destroyed an illegal refining site and seized 9,000 litres of stolen Automotive Gas Oil (AGO). They also intercepted a large wooden boat filled with 120,000 litres of stolen crude.
Further success came in Eleme LGA, where an illegal loading point was discovered. Two tanker trucks were intercepted while loading stolen crude, leading to the recovery of 40,000 litres of stolen oil and the arrest of five guards.
The crackdown extended to Imo Riverside, where troops destroyed over 30 illegal refining sites, seizing 44 cooking pots, six wooden boats, and a tanker barge containing 20,000 litres of stolen products. Other raids targeted sites in Bayelsa, Delta, and Akwa Ibom states, where stolen crude oil and AGO were also recovered.
In Bayelsa’s Nembe LGA, troops deactivated illegal refining sites, recovering 2,500 litres of stolen crude. In Delta State’s Warri South LGA, a wooden boat was intercepted while stealing crude from an oil well, and at Isioko South LGA, a Mack truck was confiscated as criminals abandoned it while attempting to siphon oil from a pipeline.
These successes followed the visit of the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who commended the troops’ efforts. The General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Major General Jamal Abdussalam, urged troops to maintain the pressure and called on local communities to provide valuable intelligence on oil theft and other criminal activities in the region.
The operations have significantly disrupted illegal oil refining and bunkering activities, with the Army vowing to make the Niger Delta untenable for oil thieves.