By Peter Omopo
Port Harcourt, September 22, 2025 — The Nigerian Army, 6 Division, says its troops have arrested 17 suspected oil thieves and dismantled nine illegal refining sites in a major crackdown on oil bunkering across the Niger Delta.
The operation, conducted between September 8 and 20 in collaboration with other security agencies, also led to the recovery of more than 45,000 litres of stolen petroleum products.
Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Jonah Danjuma, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Sunday, describing the exercise as a “significant gain” against economic saboteurs.
According to the statement, in Delta State, troops uncovered a metal storage facility in Ogwu community, Warri South Local Government Area, containing over 20,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), three pumping machines, three metering machines, and other equipment. A 20,000-litre capacity tanker truck, already loaded with more than 10,000 litres of illegally refined AGO, was also seized.
In Bayelsa State, soldiers destroyed two illegal refining sites and three dugout pits containing more than 7,000 litres of stolen products around Biseni, Yenagoa LGA. A Toyota Camry conveying 600 litres of AGO was intercepted at Okordia, also in Yenagoa.
Similarly, in Rivers State, troops on patrol in Okarki, Ahoada West LGA, intercepted a Toyota 4Runner SUV carrying 1,600 litres of suspected stolen petroleum products. The driver reportedly fled on sighting the soldiers. Additional seizures included 23 sacks containing 690 litres of AGO at Ogbogolo, Ahoada West LGA, and a wooden boat loaded with stolen products in Degema LGA. At Obiafor Oil Field, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, troops discovered a vandalised section of the Oando pipeline alongside 500 litres of stolen condensate.
The crackdown also extended to Akwa Ibom State, where troops intensified patrols across notorious smuggling corridors, a move the Army said has “effectively denied criminals freedom of action in the state.”
Danjuma reaffirmed the Army’s commitment to sustaining the momentum of the operations, noting that oil theft and pipeline vandalism remain major threats to Nigeria’s economy and national security.
