Troops of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, have foiled multiple attempts to re-establish illegal bunkering camps in the Niger Delta Region, dismantling 18 sites and arresting 28 suspected oil thieves.
According to a statement by Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, acting Deputy Director of 6 Division Army Public Relations, the operations—conducted in collaboration with other security agencies from 7 to 13 April 2025—led to the recovery of over 72,000 litres of stolen petroleum products.
In Rivers State, troops intensified operations that thwarted criminal efforts to erect new illegal bunkering camps. A major breakthrough occurred around Joinkrama 4 Forest in Ahoada West Local Government Area, where welding and cutting equipment, along with several newly constructed drums, were recovered.
Following actionable intelligence, troops also raided De Tropicana Hotel in Ahoada West LGA, where two Toyota Camry vehicles were intercepted, each containing sacks filled with over 1,300 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil, AGO. The drivers fled the scene, abandoning their vehicles.
Elsewhere, three suspects were apprehended at Krakrama Wellhead 12 in Bille, Degema LGA, while attempting to compromise the oil facility. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of four more suspects and the recovery of three wooden boats laden with over 1,500 litres of stolen crude. Similar operations in Okarki resulted in the demobilisation of equipment used for illegal refining.
Along the fringes of the Imo River, clearance operations yielded the destruction of six illegal refining sites, 41 drum pots, 18 drum receivers, and 540 sacks containing over 11,000 litres of stolen products. Troops also destroyed newly constructed drum pots and receivers intended to revive illegal activities in the area.
In Delta State, troops intercepted a canter truck, a Ford bus, and a fuel tanker along the Koko–Obitigbo road. The vehicles were conveying more than 25,200 litres of stolen petroleum products. In a separate operation, another fuel tanker transporting over 10,000 litres of stolen crude was intercepted at Koko. In the Oton–Urakpa area of Sapele LGA, an illegal bunkering camp was uncovered deep within a forest. The site contained 100 cellophane bags filled with over 3,350 litres of illegally refined AGO, one large drum, one iron tank filled with refined product, three empty drums, two ovens, a long rubber hose, and a network of connected iron pipes.
In Bayelsa State, troops neutralised three illegal refining sites in the Biseni Community of Yenagoa LGA, where over 2,100 litres of stolen crude had been stockpiled in dugout pits. At Okordia in the same LGA, another site was dismantled, and over 1,500 litres of stolen crude were recovered.
In Akwa Ibom State, along the Okobo–Uyo road in Okobo LGA, troops intercepted eight jerrycans, each with a 30-litre capacity, filled with AGO.
All arrested suspects have been handed over to relevant authorities for prosecution, while the recovered products were processed in accordance with operational protocols.
Commending the troops for their determination and success, the General Officer Commanding, GOC, 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Emmanuel Eric Emekah, reassured residents of the Niger Delta of a secure environment conducive to socio-economic development.
He issued a stern warning to criminal elements, urging them to desist from acts of economic sabotage or face dire consequences.