Troops deployed to the South-South region of Nigeria have made significant recoveries in their fight against oil theft, seizing 602,200 litres of stolen crude oil, 64,900 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), and 12,690 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) during various operations conducted in the past week.
The Defence Headquarters, in a statement released on Friday by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, reported that the recoveries are valued at approximately N793 million.
Buba stated, “In the SS, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of N793,257,250.00 only.” He detailed that troops in the Niger Delta area also uncovered and destroyed 4 dugout pits, 48 boats, 3 speedboats, 156 drums, and 34 storage tanks. Additionally, 18 suspected oil thieves were arrested, and 44 illegal refining sites were discovered and dismantled.
“Troops recovered 602,200 litres of stolen crude oil, 64,900 litres of illegally refined AGO, and 12,690 litres of PMS,” Buba added. He also mentioned other items confiscated, including 28 cooking ovens, 8 vehicles, one motorcycle, one tricycle, and the illegal refining sites.
In a broader context, Buba noted that during counter-terrorism operations conducted across Northern Nigeria, troops neutralized no fewer than 118 terrorists.
He remarked, “During the week under review, troops neutralised 118 and arrested 97 persons and rescued 96 kidnapped hostages.” The operations also yielded a substantial cache of weapons, with troops recovering 87 assorted firearms and 2,244 rounds of ammunition.
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The breakdown of the recovered weaponry includes one PKT gun, one PKM, one RPG, one auto pistol, 43 AK47 rifles, 14 fabricated rifles, 14 Dane guns, and 5 pump-action guns, among others.
Buba specified, “Others are 1,715 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 505 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 8 rounds of 9mm ammo, 14 live cartridges, 89 empty cases of 7.62mm ammo, 10 vehicles, 33 motorcycles, 50 mobile phones, and the sum of N778,560.00 only amongst other items.”
