Military Recovers N10bn Worth of Stolen Crude Oil in Niger Delta
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) announced that the military has recovered stolen crude oil valued at N10 billion in the Niger Delta, as part of ongoing efforts to combat oil theft and vandalism in the region.
Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, disclosed these achievements during the DHQ’s bi-weekly briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
In addition to the recovery of stolen crude oil, Buba revealed that over the past three months, military operations in the North resulted in the elimination of 2,245 terrorists.
“During the second quarter of this year, troops neutralized 2,245 terrorists, arrested 3,682 suspected terrorists and other criminal elements, and rescued 1,993 kidnapped hostages. Additionally, they denied oil thieves an estimated sum of over N10 billion,” Buba reported.
“A total of 9,225,149 liters of stolen crude oil, 2,874,916 liters of illegally refined AGO (diesel), 29,900 liters of DPK (kerosene), and 31,380 liters of PMS (petrol), amongst other items, were recovered.”
The breakdown of recovered items includes 1,169 AK-47 rifles, 36,273 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 14,764 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 713 assorted arms, and 9,850 assorted ammunition, Buba added.
These efforts come as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) recently reported the discovery of 165 illegal refineries in the Niger Delta within a single week, underscoring the scale of the oil theft problem in the region.
