Army Recovers 700,000 Litres Of Stolen Fuel, Deactivates 29 Illegal Refineries

The 6th Division of the Nigerian Army, located in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has seized 700,000 litres of stolen petroleum products.

The Division’s Public Relations Officer, Lt. Col. Danjuma Jonah, made this known, revealing that the products were seized in a series of operations conducted between October 28 and November 3, 2024.

He added that the troops also deactivated 29 illegal refining sites, arrested 24 suspected oil thieves, and destroyed 14 boats involved in crude oil theft during the operations.

Jonah disclosed that in Rivers State, troops intercepted a large wooden boat carrying over 150,000 litres of stolen crude oil in the Kula area of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area.

The operations were carried out in Rivers State, Bayelsa State, Akwa Ibom State, and Delta State.

The statement read, “Another boat carrying 50,000 litres of crude oil was seized while three illegal refining sites were dismantled, and cooking pots containing 20,000 litres of stolen diesel were confiscated. Troops also dismantled ten illegal refining sites in Kay and Abesa in Akuku-Toru LGA, seizing 400,000 litres of illegally refined diesel.

“In Bayelsa State, soldiers deactivated two illegal refining sites at Boma Creek in Southern Ijaw LGA, recovering storage tanks holding over 2,500 litres of stolen crude. Similarly, operations in Southern Ijaw’s Obughene Creek yielded over 4,500 litres of stolen crude, while another 3,000 litres of illicit product were seized at West Boma Creek.

“In Akwa Ibom State, troops intercepted two Toyota Camrys loaded with illegally refined diesel, hidden in nylon bags, totalling 3,000 litres. The vehicles were stopped along the Ikot Abasi-Abak road, and the drivers were detained.

“In Delta State, multiple raids were conducted, including the interception of a tricycle in Kwale, Ndokwa West LGA, carrying stolen iron pipes allegedly taken from decommissioned Oando pipelines.

“Another raid in Patani town uncovered a storage dump containing 40 jerricans of stolen products while troops patrolling Uro Community waterways intercepted a wooden boat with 200 sacks of premium motor spirit.”

The Army revealed that all arrested suspects have been handed over to relevant authorities for prosecution, while seized products are being handled according to operational mandates.