The Defence Headquarters says troops of the Nigerian Armed Forces have thwarted the oil theft of N1,312,575,085, and arrested 285 oil thieves and other criminals.
This was contained in a press statement issued on Friday by the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye, on the successes and challenges of military operations across various theatres of operation in the month of July, made available to defence correspondents.
A breakdown of the figure indicates as follows: 974,976 litres of stolen crude oil, 269,257 litres of illegally refined AGO, 1,759 litres of DKP and 3,447 litres of PMS.
Additionally, troops discovered and destroyed 126 crude oil cooking ovens, 107 dugout pits, 39 boats, 83 storage tanks, 88 drums, 35 vehicles and 73 illegal refining sites. Assorted arms and ammunition and some explosives, were also recovered.
Within the month of July 2025, troops in various theatres killed large numbers of terrorists, arrested 578 suspected terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal elements and rescued about 134 kidnapped victims, while a terrorist commander, Ibn Ali and 151 terrorists as well as their family members surrendered to troops.
Among the terrorists eliminated were terrorist commanders Yellow Danbokolo, Amir Dunkei, Kachalla Nagomma, Gurmu and Ali Yar Daribiyar, described as despicable because of their heinous terrorist acts.
Also arrested and taken into custody for interrogation were some notorious gunrunners and kidnappers who have been on the troops’ watch list. They include; Yakubu Jubril, Abubakar Yahaya, Isiya Sani, Haruna Abdullahi Ali Abba, Mallam Aminu Idris, Mohammed Hamisu (aka Mamiyo or Officer Mohammed), Shuaibu Bulama, Isah Abdullahi as well as Abdullahi Mohammed. Others are notorious cultists Prince Justin Ishimiri and an extremist kingpin Liamdoo Douglas Adekpe (aka Bajor).
Also, troops of OPERATION FANSAN YAMMA in Mariga and Rijau LGA of Niger state and between the border of Zamfara and Kebbi states
conducted some notable airstrike missions within their Areas of Responsibility.
In the Northeast, troops of OPERATION HADIN KAI sustained efforts to deny Boko Haram, JAS and ISWAP terrorists freedom of action in the region. During the period, the ground forces in synergy with the Air Component and hybrid forces as well as local security stakeholders, conducted aggressive operations across the theatre.
This led to the arrest of terrorists’ logistics suppliers, recovery of weapons, dismantling of terrorists’ networks and support for safe resettlement of displaced persons and their returned for farming activities.
The troops conducted kinetic operations against Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists in the general areas of Marte, Bula Daburu, Alau Dam, Limankara, Bitta, Kawuri and Monguno villages of Marte, Bama, Konduga, Kaga, Gwoza and Guzamala LGAs of Borno State as well as Mildo Village in Madagali LGA of Adamawa State. They eliminated scores of terrorists, arrested 8 of them and rescued 2 kidnapped victims.
Troops arrested 2 ISWAP terrorists around their base defence areas in Gujba and Bama LGAs of Yobe and Borno States respectively, one of whom was a terrorist suspected to be from Niger Republic who could not communicate in either English, Hausa or Kanuri.
Similarly, troops conducted operations in Ngala, Chibok, Monguno, Damboa, Biu and Bama LGAs of Borno State as well as Gujba and Damaturu LGAs of Yobe State, which led to During the encounters, 11 suspected terrorists’ collaborators were arrested. Some quantities of arms and ammunition were also recovered. They also retrieved and safely detonated some IEDs, while the sum of N134,420.00 was also recovered.
In the North Central, troops of OPERATION SAFE HAVEN also recorded a series of successes following offensive operations response to distress calls on terrorists’ activities in Wase, Riyom, Jos North, Bassa, Jos East, Bokkos and Mangu LGAs of Plateau State as well as Kaura and Sanga LGAs of Kaduna State.
While conducting these operations, they contacted extremists and killed some of them, arrested 3 criminals and rescued 7 kidnapped victims. Some weapons, ammunition, motorcycles and vehicles were recovered from them.
They also arrested a wanted notorious extremist identified as Dayabu Idris and 4 other suspected extremists in Barkin Ladi, Mangu and Tafawa Balewa LGAs of Plateau and Bauchi States respectively.
Also in the North Central, troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE recorded high level of successes in their areas of responsibility during the week. They conducted operations in Akure, Ako Ivaan, Iorkyol, Ugbaba, Agber, Tse ilim and Gbesi general areas of Guma and Katsina-Ala LGAs of Benue State.
They also operated in Lokoja and Kabba Bunu LGAs of Kogi State as well as AMAC of FCT and Suleija LGA of Niger State respectively, where they eliminated some terrorists, arrested 13 of them and rescued 3 kidnapped victims. They also recovered arms and ammunition, motorcycles and vehicles.
Troops of Operation DELTA SAFE in the Southsouth recovered 230,400 litres of stolen crude oil, 8,320 litres of illegally refined AGO and 900 litres of AGO. Additionally, they discovered and destroyed 11 crude oil cooking ovens, 7 dugout pits, 4 boats, 7 storage tanks, 17 drums
and 6 illegal refining sites.
Other items recovered include, pumping machines, drilling machines, tricycles, motorcycles, mobile phones and 3 vehicles, even as 22 oil thieves and other criminals were arrested. Troops also arrested other suspected criminals including IPOB/ESN members, cultists and drug peddlers in Oshimili North, Sapele, Ughelli South, Ndukwa East and Uvwie LGAs of Delta state and Ahoada West LGA of Rivers State.
In the Southeast, troops of Operation UDO KA sustained offensive posture throughout the week under review. They arrested 2 suspected IPOB/ESN members, one of whom was eliminated while attempting to escape during an arrest in Nkanu West LGA of Enugu state.
Six other criminals were arrested in various encounters within Igbo Eze North LGA of Enugu state as well as Ideator North, Okigwe and Calabar South LGAs of Imo and Cross River States respectively. Weapons and items recovered from them are in troops custody, while interrogation is ongoing.
Kangye emphasized that
every operation undertaken by troops is guided by the military’s unwavering commitment to national security, the safety of personnel, and the principles they are sworn to uphold.
“Our forces remain vigilant, ready, and resolute in facing current and emerging threats. We thank the public for their continued support and understanding as we carry out our mission with discipline, transparency, and integrity”, he stated.
