Troops Dismantle 35 Illegal Refining Sites, Apprehend 99 Felons in One Week

Linus Aleke in Abuja

The Nigerian military yesterday said that troops deployed for internal security operations across the federation discovered and dismantled 35 illegal refining sites in the creeks of the Niger Delta region.

The military also revealed that troops of Operation Delta Safe apprehended 29 suspected oil thieves during an anti-oil theft operation within the week, while troops of Operation Hadin Kai and Fansan Yamma arrested 70 suspected bandits and rescued 21 kidnap hostages between 17 and 25 April 2025.

A statement by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, also revealed that troops recovered stolen products worth over N95 million within the period.
He said that troops also deactivated 62 crude oil cooking ovens, 71 dugout pits, 18 boats, three speedboats, 36 storage tanks, and 88 drums within the said period.

According to him, “the troops also recovered 89,684 litres of stolen crude oil, 46,538 litres of illegally refined AGO, and 1,650 litres of DPK. Other items recovered within the period include pumping machines, drilling machines, tricycles, motorcycles, mobile phones, and four vehicles.”

He disclosed that troops equally killed several terrorists during the operation. This, he said, is in addition to the recovery of huge quantities of assorted arms, including machine guns, RPG tubes, automatic weapons, as well as locally fabricated guns and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
He stressed that a cache of ammunition and live cartridges was also recovered within the period under review.