21 oil thieves are detained as soldiers dismantle 57 illegal refineries

According to the Defense Headquarters, Operation Delta Safe troops have captured 21 oil thieves and demolished 57 illicit refinery installations during the previous three weeks in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers.

This was announced by Maj. Gen. Musa Danmadami, Director of Defense Media Activities, during a Thursday report on military operations in Abuja.

According to Danmadami, the forces also demolished 149 dugout pits, 68 wooden boats, 172 storage tanks, and 953 cooking ovens at this time.

During Operation Octopus Grip, he claimed, the troops also found 445,000 liters of crude oil, 1.04 million liters of automotive gas oil, 22,000 liters of premium motor spirit (PMS), and 2,000 liters of dual-purpose kerosene.

He said that 63 automobiles, 14 motorbikes, one tricycle, three bicycles, 11 pumping equipment, and three outboard engines were all taken into custody, in addition to eight tankers, 63 vehicles, two speed boats, and one tug boat.

He went on to say that 21 people who stole oil or damaged pipelines were also caught during the time period in question.

“Overall, oil thieves in the region were defrauded of N713.6 million over the focused weeks.” The significant amount of illegal crude oil and other petroleum products found and destroyed, as well as the number of oil thieves and pipeline vandals detained, demonstrate the Operation Delta Safe forces’ tenacious attempts to deny them freedom of action, he said.

Danmadami said that the military and other security forces in the South East had killed seven criminals, arrested 25 others, and freed eight citizens who had been taken hostage.

He also said that the forces found five AK-47 rifles, eight pump-action rifles, three locally made pistols, three Dane rifles, and several hand grenades that had chains and leg cuffs made locally.

He claims that the relevant authorities have received all recovered property, rescued citizens, and apprehended offenders for further action.

He claimed that during Operation Swift Response in the South West, the AWATSE forces found 1,680 (50 kg) bags of foreign rice, 997 jerrycans of 30 liters of PMS, one truck, two golf cars, and bales of discarded clothing, among other things.

Danmadami reported that during the raid, the troops also detained two criminals.

The apprehended criminals were turned over to the appropriate authority for further punishment, he claimed, while all recovered commodities had been given to the Nigerian Customs Service.