Troops of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, have apprehended 62 suspects involved in oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and other related crimes across the Niger Delta.
This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by Lt.-Col. Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Division.
According to Danjuma, the troops, in joint operations with other security agencies, dismantled several illegal oil bunkering camps and disrupted their supply networks, seizing over 350,000 litres of stolen petroleum products during raids carried out between July 14 and 20 in Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, and Akwa Ibom states.
The operations led to the arrest of 62 suspected economic saboteurs, deactivation of 14 illegal refining sites, and seizure of five boats used in crude oil transportation.
In Rivers State, troops uncovered and dismantled six illegal refining sites around an abandoned wellhead at Joinkrama 4 in Ahoada West Local Government Area (LGA). The sites contained approximately 300,000 litres of stolen crude oil and 21,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) stored in large ovens, reservoirs, and receivers. Recovered items included a generator set, welding machine, and several shovels.
Similarly, several illegal refining camps were destroyed around Obiafor in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, where troops discovered three dug-out pits—two filled with 5,700 litres of stolen crude oil and one containing an unquantified amount of AGO. Two boats loaded with ten sacks of condensates were also intercepted at the riverside in the area.
At Elele Town in Ikwerre LGA, troops intercepted a Sienna vehicle without a registration number, loaded with 32 sacks containing over 1,920 litres of stolen AGO. An illegal connection point and a dug-out pit filled with 1,200 litres of condensates were also uncovered nearby. Other recovered items included three 150-meter-long hoses, eight metal drums, and multiple ovens set up for illegal refining.
In Bayelsa State, troops deactivated four illegal refining sites and four dug-out pits around Biseni in Yenagoa LGA, recovering over 10,000 litres of stolen AGO and dismantling five cooking ovens.
Following a tip-off in Sapele LGA, Delta State, troops projected force from Javel Sharp Sand Waterside to Gana Road, where two suspected oil thieves were arrested with two boats loaded with 30 cellophane bags containing over 1,500 litres of illegally refined AGO.
In Akwa Ibom, troops continued to dominate the operational landscape, effectively denying oil thieves freedom of action.
Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Emekah, General Officer Commanding the 6 Division, commended the troops for their operational successes and urged them to maintain the momentum to rid the region of economic sabotage.
— NAN
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
