The Defence Headquarters said troops of OPERATION DELTA SAFE thwarted the oil theft of N168, 707,857 worth of crude oil.
Major General Markus Kangye, the director of Defence Media Operations, disclosed this in a press statement on Friday, detailing the activities of troops in the last week of April 2025.
A breakdown of the recovered products reveals 86,490 litres of stolen crude oil, 72,821 litres of illegally refined Automated Gas Oil (AGO), and 2,650 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
Kangye added that troops discovered and destroyed 72 crude oil cooking ovens, 41 dugout pits, 13 boats, 2 speedboats, 29 storage tanks, 47 drums and 22 illegal refining sites.
Other items recovered include pumping machines, drilling machines, tricycles, motorcycles, mobile phones, and seven vehicles.
In the preceding week, he said, troops neutralised scores of terrorists, while others were apprehended. Troops also captured 18 perpetrators of oil theft in the anti-crude oil theft operation and rescued some kidnapped hostages.
He noted that troops recovered large quantities of various arms, such as automatic weapons, RPG tubes, machine guns, locally made firearms, and improvised explosive devices. Also, a sizable stash of live cartridges and some assorted ammunition were recovered.
He affirmed that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remain resolute in their efforts to safeguard the nation’s territorial integrity and protect citizens from any threats.
“As part of our mandate, we have launched several key operations aimed at combating insurgency, terrorism, and other forms of criminal activities that threaten our communities” he stated.
