Troops of the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army have intercepted a large-scale illegal oil bunkering operation, seizing over 198,000 litres of stolen crude oil from a barge near an NNPCL flow station in Rivers State.
In a statement issued on Monday by Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations for the 6 Division, it was revealed that the troops, acting on credible intelligence, raided three speedboats near Cawthorne Channel I, catching the suspects in the act of siphoning crude oil. The operation led to the arrest of five suspects and the confiscation of a barge, a tugboat, and three speedboats used in the illicit activity.
The operation is part of the military’s ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks involved in oil theft in the Niger Delta. Over the past week, 280,000 litres of crude oil have been recovered, and 63 illegal oil bunkering sites, along with 11 illegal connections, have been discovered.
In Rivers and Abia states, soldiers uncovered four illegal oil connections in Isimiri and Obiakpu villages in Ukwa West Local Government Area, with similar discoveries in Owaza and Uzuaku villages in Ukwa South LGA. A boat carrying 3,000 litres of illegally refined products was seized, and an illegal refining site was dismantled.
Additional operations targeting illegal refining sites in Imo River, Okoloma, and Obuzor led to the destruction of 42 refining sites, the recovery of 13,000 litres of stolen crude oil, and the seizure of wooden boats and refining equipment. In Alakiri, Okrika LGA, troops dismantled four more illegal refining sites, seizing 29,000 litres of stolen crude oil.
Similar operations in Bayelsa and Delta states resulted in the arrest of suspects and the destruction of illegal refineries. In Bayelsa’s Kaiama community, 1,400 litres of stolen products were found in a suspect’s residence, while a gas pipeline vandalism attempt was thwarted in Delta’s Okpai community.
Major General Jamal Abdussalam, General Officer Commanding the 6 Division and Commander of the JTF Land Component Operation Delta Safe, assured that troops would continue their efforts to dismantle illegal oil bunkering networks, ensuring uninterrupted oil exploration and production in the region. He emphasized that no criminal activity would be allowed to thrive.
