Troops of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, have arrested 28 suspected oil thieves and recovered about 290,000 litres of stolen petroleum products in a series of operations across the Niger Delta.
The Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah Danjuma, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to him, the operations were carried out between October 6 and 19, 2025, across Rivers, Abia, Delta, and Bayelsa states.
He said, “The operations resulted in the arrest of 28 suspected oil thieves, the deactivation of four illegal refining sites, and the seizure of over 290,000 litres of stolen products across the region.”
In Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, troops intercepted two wooden boats while loading Premium Motor Spirit from a vessel at a jetty. Another two boats were seized at the same location, one of which was loaded with more than 33,000 litres of stolen petroleum products, while another carried over 5,000 litres.
At Elele Alimini in Emohua Local Government Area, soldiers acted on intelligence about illegal oil bunkering along the Sterling Global Company Road. A tanker with registration number Rivers JJN 287 ZU, suspected to be carrying about 90,000 litres of stolen products, was impounded, and two suspects—the driver and his assistant—were arrested.
In another operation at Okolomade in Abua/Odual Local Government Area, the troops recovered over 2,600 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil.
Danjuma said the division also destroyed four illegal refining sites and vowed to sustain the crackdown on crude oil theft in the region.
He reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to protecting national assets and supporting the federal government’s effort to curb economic sabotage in the oil sector.
