By Akinsuroju Olubunmi
Troops bust oil theft ring, arrest 104 suspects.
Oil theft ring busted, 104 suspects arrested
The Defence Headquarters announced on Friday that troops in the South-South region had successfully dismantled an oil theft syndicate, recovering stolen crude oil and related products worth N2.6 billion.
According to the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, between January 27 and February 16, a total of 3,282,250 litres of stolen crude oil, 224,050 litres of illegally refined AGO, and 5,925 litres of DPK were seized. Additionally, troops uncovered and destroyed 131 dugout pits, 67 illegal refining sites, and 125 storage tanks.
The statement further revealed that 104 suspected oil thieves were apprehended during the operations. In the Niger Delta area alone, troops discovered and destroyed various facilities used for oil theft, including dugout pits, boats, storage tanks, motorcycles, and vehicles. The recovered items also included cooking ovens, pump machines, speedboats, and outboard engines.
Oil theft remains a significant challenge in Nigeria, with severe economic consequences. The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative reported that over N4.3 trillion worth of crude oil was stolen through pipeline vandalism in the past five years.
In addition to combating oil theft, the military recorded significant successes against terrorism, with 254 terrorists neutralized and 264 arrested. Troops also rescued 73 kidnapped hostages and recovered a substantial cache of weapons and ammunition, including rifles, guns, grenades, and explosives.
Oil Theft, Troops bust