Usama OLAGUNJUThe 6 Division of the Nigerian Army says its troops have arrested 19 suspected oil thieves, destroyed 22 illegal refining sites and recovered about 180,000 litres of stolen petroleum products valued at approximately N150m across the Niger Delta Region.
The army said the achievements followed a coordinated operation that lasted nearly one month and was carried out in four states in collaboration with other security agencies.
The Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lt Col Jonah Danjuma, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday.
According to Danjuma, the operations targeted oil theft, pipeline vandalism and related crimes, adding that troops would continue to dominate the operational environment to deny criminal elements freedom of action in the region.
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The statement read: “Troops of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, in close synergy with other security agencies, have continued to dominate the operational landscape, effectively denying criminal elements freedom of action across the Niger Delta Region.“
In several operations conducted, 19 suspected oil thieves were apprehended, with 22 illegal refining hubs destroyed, and over 180,000 litres of stolen products, worth over One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N150,000,000.00), recovered.
“The operations were conducted between 23 November and 28 December 2025, targeting oil theft, pipeline vandalism and associated crimes in the NDR.”
Giving a breakdown, Danjuma said troops deactivated an illegal refining site at Siebu Creek in Ogbienbiri, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, where a reservoir containing over 75,000 litres of stolen crude oil and a pumping machine were recovered.
He said multiple operations around Biseni in Yenagoa LGA led to the destruction of several illegal refining sites and the recovery of over 17,000 litres of stolen products, while at Okarki waterside in Ogbia LGA, troops intercepted a large Cotonou boat concealed along the riverbank and loaded with 37 sacks containing 2,775 litres of stolen crude.
“In the Ogale community, Eleme LGA of Rivers State, troops discovered 350 sacks filled with over 10,500 litres of stolen crude. Around Okarki Forest in Ahoada West LGA, two illegal refining sites were destroyed, with over 3,000 litres of stolen crude recovered,” he said.
Danjuma added that in Orashi Forest, Abua/Odual LGA, troops traced a hose stretching over nine kilometres to four illegal refining sites comprising large ovens, receivers and dugout pits stocked with more than 7,000 litres of crude oil.
He said further recoveries were made at Okolomade in Abua/Odual LGA, Gbonga Forest in Bonny Island LGA, as well as Okrika, Omerelu in Ikwerre LGA and OML 18 Alakiri, where over 6,000 litres of condensates were seized.In Delta State, he said troops intercepted a truck along the Asaba–Benin Expressway while discharging 45,000 litres of diverted products into a pit, and arrested two suspects during an operation in Sapele LGA .
Additional seizures were recorded around the Otorogu Gas Plant in Ughelli South LGA, where two vehicles conveying illegally refined condensates were intercepted.
In Akwa Ibom State, Danjuma said troops discovered a stockpile of illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil at a warehouse in Ikot Ntuen Village, Abak LGA.
Meanwhile, the General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Emekah, commended the troops for the successes recorded and urged them to sustain the momentum against economic saboteurs.
He also called on residents to continue to support the ongoing crackdown on criminal networks involved in the sabotage of critical national infrastructure in the oil-rich Niger Delta.