Troops from the Nigerian Army’s 6th Division have destroyed a large illegal oil refining operation found in the Warri South area of Delta State, the Army disclosed on Thursday.

After receiving intelligence about illegal refining activity, soldiers swooped into the Ogbokoko and Atu communities. They uncovered a refining site with eight active ovens to process stolen crude oil, 14 reservoirs storing an estimated 200,000 liters of stolen oil, and 90,000 liters of illegally refined diesel.

Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu said the troops destroyed the illicit operation “in line with the existing guidelines of Operation Delta Safe,” the military’s anti-oil theft mission in the Niger Delta. The culprits fled before they could be apprehended.

“An investigation is ongoing to arrest the fleeing criminals,” Nwachukwu stated from Army headquarters in Abuja. He encouraged the public to report information about oil theft and other criminal activity.

The successful raid comes as Nigeria’s military steps up efforts to curb rampant oil theft and illegal refining