PICTORIAL: Troops Arrest 69 Suspected Oil Thieves In Niger Delta

Troops of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, have arrested 69 persons suspected to be involved in oil theft and other related offences and confiscated over 32,000 litres of stolen petroleum products as they ramped up the anti-oil theft operations across the Niger Delta region.

Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lt. Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Sunday night, said the operations, which were carried out between August 11 and August 24, 2025, in collaboration with other security agencies, led to the deactivation of nine illegal refining sites across the region.

The statement said in Delta State, the operations led to the interception of two trucks loaded with over 15,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) at Sapele local government area while three suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures, adding that at One Man Village in Sapele, troops recovered 16 cellophane bags filled with illegally refined AGO, while at Nana Town in Warri North LGA, several drums and four jerricans of illegally refined AGO were uncovered.

It stated that in Rivers State, troops deactivated three illegal refining sites, recovered over 7,000 litres of stolen products, and seized a wooden boat at Kilometre 45 in Degema LGA, while in Omoku Town, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, troops intercepted two wooden boats loaded with eight sacks of stolen condensates, adding that a dugout pit containing over 1,500 litres of condensate was also discovered near an identified illegal connection point.

It further stated that at Izuoma Community around Sampson Estate in Oyigbo LGA of the State, over 1,500 litres of stolen products were also recovered, while at Akankurma Okoloma in Okrika, troops dismantled an illegal refining site and confiscated a drum pot, a receiver, and five drums filled with over 1,500 litres of stolen crude, adding that three suspects were arrested in connection with the offences.

The statement said in a separate operation around Ataba in Andoni LGA, troops seized one fibre boat, one cooking pot, ten-inch pipes, and five valves, adding that the seizures were also made along Imo River, where over 2,000 litres of stolen products were recovered in an operation that led to the deactivation of two illegal refining sites, four drum pots, and two receivers around Obuzor and the Oyigbo general area of Rivers State.

In a similar vein, in Bayelsa State, troops uncovered an illegal refining site around Biseni in Yenagoa LGA, where two large reservoirs filled with over 7,000 litres of stolen crude were discovered, which was in addition to five drums and receivers destroyed at the site, while that in Akwa Ibom State, troops dominated the operational area, effectively denying criminal elements the freedom to operate.

The statement said all the suspects taken into custody have been handed over to the appropriate security agencies for prosecution, while products confiscated were handled in line with existing operational mandate.

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