Troops from Operation Delta Safe arrested 42 people suspected of stealing oil and recovered a large amount of stolen products over the past week.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, shared this information during a news briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
He reported that the troops seized over 201,000 liters of stolen crude oil, nearly 30,000 liters of illegally processed automotive fuel, and about 1,800 liters of kerosene.
In addition to the stolen oil, the troops discovered and destroyed several illegal oil refining setups, including 18 cooking ovens, 32 dugout pits, and 19 refining sites.
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The troops also recovered various equipment such as boats, storage tanks, drums, pumping machines, and vehicles, along with motorcycles and mobile phones.
Kangye mentioned that among those arrested was a notorious gang leader known as Prince Johnson Ishirim, or Commander Junior, along with 13 other suspected criminals involved in kidnapping. More weapons and vehicles were found during these operations.
On July 10, the troops also conducted a raid in a criminal hideout in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa, leading to the arrest of 28 more oil thieves and some drug dealers.
