Army Cracks Down on Oil Theft, Destroys 10 Illegal Refineries and Arrests Nine in Niger Delta

KEY POINTS

• Nigerian Army arrested nine suspects and destroyed 10 illegal refining sites across Rivers, Delta, and Akwa Ibom.
• Over 156,000 litres of stolen crude and refined products worth ₦250 million were seized.
• Military leadership has vowed to intensify operations against oil theft in the Niger Delta.

Troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested nine suspected oil thieves and dismantled 10 illegal refining sites during coordinated operations in Rivers, Delta, and Akwa Ibom states.

The operations, carried out between April 1 and 26, involved collaboration with other security agencies, according to Danjuma Danjuma, acting deputy director of 6 Division Army Public Relations.

Massive Seizure of Stolen Crude and Refined Products

During the raids, troops confiscated more than 130,000 litres of stolen crude oil and over 26,000 litres of automotive gas oil (AGO), with an estimated value exceeding ₦250 million.

In Rivers State, several discoveries were made, including: A truck loaded with 45,000 litres of stolen petroleum products in Ahoada East, a reservoir containing over 35,000 litres of crude oil in Orashi National Forest, another storage site with more than 26,000 litres of illegally refined AGO.

Illegal Refining Infrastructure Destroyed

Troops also dismantled multiple illegal refining setups, including drum ovens, storage pits, and siphoning pipelines. Additional recoveries included: 17,760 litres of stolen products in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, Over 3,000 litres of crude oil and illegal refining equipment in Ahoada West, smaller quantities recovered in Delta and Akwa Ibom states

Suspects reportedly fled several locations, abandoning products as troops advanced