Between May 12 and 18, 2025, troops from the Nigerian Army’s 6 Division, working alongside other security agencies, arrested 38 individuals suspected of involvement in oil theft across the Niger Delta region. The operations, which spanned Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, and Akwa Ibom States, also led to the shutdown of 28 illegal refining sites and the recovery of more than 700,000 litres of stolen petroleum products.
In a statement issued from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations for the division, Lt. Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, confirmed the developments. He stated that several locally fabricated boats used by the suspects were also destroyed during the raids.
He explained, “Troops of the 6 Division, in collaboration with other security forces, have intensified efforts to tackle crude oil theft and related criminal activities in the Niger Delta.”
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During specific operations in Rivers State, particularly around the Okolomade, Orashi, and Ozochi forest areas, troops uncovered illegal connections, including one attached directly to a wellhead in Ozochi Forest.
Subsequent operations revealed a large cache of illicitly processed Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), including over 200 sacks of the substance. Authorities also discovered more than 300,000 litres of stolen crude being processed in makeshift ovens and another 300,000 litres of stolen AGO.
In addition, troops confiscated six large-scale cooking ovens, each with a 100,000-litre capacity, along with four storage reservoirs, six receiving units, and various equipment such as pumps and generators used in the illegal refining process.
