The Nigerian Army’s 6 Division announced on Monday, 11 November 2025 that troops had conducted coordinated raids across the Niger Delta between 20 October and 9 November, arresting fourteen suspected oil thieves and seizing more than 20,205 litres of stolen petroleum products.
Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah, said the operations carried out in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom in partnership with other security agencies aimed to curb economic sabotage and protect the nation’s oil infrastructure.
During the raids, soldiers dismantled fourteen illegal refining hubs. In Rivers State, six sites along the Imo River were shut down, destroying fourteen drum pots, nine drum receivers and confiscating over 8,000 litres of illicit fuel.
Notable seizures included 1,140 litres of crude hidden in a cooking oven in Bipoko Community, 1,250 litres of crude in sacks at an abandoned wellhead, more than 4,000 litres of condensate from a J5 bus and motorcycle in Ughelli North LGA, and over 3,287 litres of automotive gas oil from a truck intercepted in Akwa Ibom.
The General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Major General Emmanuel Emekah, praised the troops for their diligence and urged continued collaboration with other security outfits to sustain the momentum against oil thieves and illegal refiners.
He reiterated the Army’s commitment to protecting the nation’s oil assets and ensuring that those engaged in economic sabotage are brought to justice.
