Military Recovers N1bn Stolen Crude, Clears Troops Of Involvement

The defence headquarters has dismissed reported troops Involvement in oil theft, saying that it recovered N1 billion stolen crude.

This is even as the director defence media operations (DMO) major general Musa Danmadami, said oil products valued at N1,235,624,462 were recovered in the last two weeks.

Also, the director of information, major general Jimmy Akpor, on Thursday said the soldiers drafted to the oil producing region are doing their job with attendant results

He added that there was no justification to link the military with oil theft, operation of illegal refineries and other economic sabotage in the Niger Delta region.

He said troops are taking enormous risk working in highly hazardous terrain to protect oil installations and deny oil thieves, vandals and other criminal elements within the maritime domain, freedom of operation.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) had blamed the military and other security operatives for the massive oil theft in the creeks of Niger Delta.

PENGASSAN president, Festus Osifo, said the association will shut down oil production if the federal government fails to halt the ongoing crude oil theft.

Reacting to the allegation during the biweekly update on the Armed Forces of Nigeria operations, the DHQ, insisted that there are other stakeholders involved in the oil production and security of oil installations, noting that the military is only used as the cannon folder.