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In a decisive blow against economic sabotage, troops of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, have successfully dominated the Niger Delta Region’s operational landscape, seizing stolen petroleum products valued at over N250 million.
In a statement on Sunday, by the spokesperson of the Division, Danjuma Danjuma, the intensified operations, conducted between April 1 and April 26, 2026, resulted in the arrest of nine suspected oil thieves, the deactivation of ten illegal refining sites, and the confiscation of over 130,000 litres of stolen crude oil alongside 26,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
The surge in military activity led to several major breakthroughs in Rivers State, where troops responded to credible intelligence to intercept an abandoned truck, registration number KMC 310 ZV Kano, at Ukpeye Community along the East-West Road. The vehicle was found to be loaded with 45,000 litres of stolen products.
In the Orashi National Forest of Ahoada West LGA, soldiers uncovered a massive reservoir filled with 35,000 litres of crude oil, while a separate reservoir containing 26,000 litres of illegally refined AGO was discovered nearby.
Military personnel destroyed several galvanized pipes used for siphoning and dismantled four drum ovens and two waste pits at Abessa Forest.
The crackdown extended into the hinterlands and creeks of the region, where further seizures were recorded at Ebocha and Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA.
There, troops confiscated 266 sacks containing 17,760 litres of stolen products. Similar successes were reported in Delta State, where a tapping point and a dugout storage pit filled with 2,700 litres of stolen products were uncovered in the Obazogbe Community of Ethiope LGA. In Akwa Ibom State, a stockpile of 1,350 litres of AGO
was abandoned by suspects who fled upon the arrival of troops in the Ikot Ekpene LGA.
He charged the personnel to sustain the current operational tempo, emphasizing that the military remains committed to denying economic saboteurs any freedom of action across the Niger Delta The operation has significantly disrupted the logistical chains of illegal refiners, with Bayelsa State also reportedly secured under effective military dominance to prevent further criminal activity.
