The Nigerian Army’s 6 Division has launched a series of operations to combat oil theft and illegal refining in the Niger Delta region.
Between February 17 and 23, 2025, the troops destroyed 18 illegal refining sites, arrested 17 suspected oil thieves, and demobilized 10 boats used for illicit activities.
The operations, conducted in Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta states, resulted in the recovery of over 25,000 liters of stolen products. The troops also discovered and dismantled several illegal oil bunkering dumps, including one with over 2,100 liters of illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO).
In Rivers State, the troops intercepted three wooden boats loaded with over 9,000 liters of stolen crude and impounded a truck carrying over 3,000 liters of stolen crude. In Bayelsa State, they dismantled three illegal refining sites and recovered over 3,500 liters of crude.
The General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Emekah, commended the troops for their efforts and charged them to sustain the operational tempo to deny economic saboteurs the freedom to carry out their activities.
This operation is part of the military’s ongoing efforts to combat oil theft and illegal refining in the Niger Delta region.
In a similar operation conducted between January 12 and 19, 2025, the troops arrested 25 suspected oil thieves, including four members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and destroyed 23 illegal refining sites.