Nigerian Army troops have seized more than 156,000 litres of stolen petroleum products valued at over N250 million during operations across the Niger Delta between 1 and 26 April. The haul included over 130,000 litres of crude oil and 26,000 litres of petrol, according to Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations for 6 Division, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Danjuma. Nine suspected oil thieves were arrested, and 10 illegal refining sites were dismantled during the operations conducted by the 6 Division in collaboration with other security agencies.
Operations spanned Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa States. In Rivers State, troops intercepted an abandoned truck with 45,000 litres of suspected stolen product along the East-West Road in Ukpeye, Ahoada East. A reservoir holding over 35,000 litres of crude was found in Orashi National Forest, Ahoada West, alongside another with 26,000 litres of illegally refined petrol and galvanised pipes used for siphoning. In Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, 266 sacks containing 17,760 litres were seized at Ebocha and Omoku, while four drum ovens and 50 sacks with over 3,000 litres of crude were destroyed at Abessa Forest. Around Okolomade in Abua/Odual, 30 sacks with about 1,500 litres were recovered.
In Delta State, a tapping point and storage pit with over 2,700 litres were found in Obazogbe, Ethiope East. In Akwa Ibom, 45 bags with about 1,350 litres of refined petrol were recovered in Ikot Ekpene, with suspects fleeing on sighting troops. The army said operations in Bayelsa limited oil theft activities. General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Emmanuel Emekah, commended the troops and urged sustained efforts.
The army reports seizing over 156,000 litres of stolen oil yet names no oil companies or pipelines linked to the theft, leaving unclear which facilities are being targeted. The seizure of 10 refining sites and multiple storage points suggests persistent local networks operating with technical capacity. If crude is being siphoned via tapping points and moved in truckloads, then security gaps exist beyond remote forests. Communities near Ahoada, Omoku, and Abua now live amid both military raids and ongoing oil infrastructure vulnerability.
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