Oil theft: Troops recover N150m worth of product,  arrest 19 suspects 

From Tony John, Port Harcourt

Troops of  6 Division, Nigerian Army, have apprehended 19 suspected oil thieves with 22 illegal refining hubs destroyed, and over 180,000 litres of stolen products worth over ₦150,000,000.00 recovered. 

The feat was recorded in several operations, as the 6 Division continues  to dominate the operational landscape, effectively denying criminal elements freedom of action across the Niger Delta region.

Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Monday, disclosed that the operations were conducted between 23 November 23 and  December 28, 2025, targeting oil theft, pipeline vandalism and associated crimes in the  region.

According to the Army spokesman,  the operations were carried out in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States.

He  noted that the troops also received credible information on a daring attempt by suspected oil thieves to compromise a pipeline around Gbonga forest in Bonny Island Local Government Area, Rivers State.

Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma added that the troops swiftly mobilised to the scene and made huge recoveries, including a rubber hose, one shovel, one manifold valve head, four bags of waterproof nylon, one 9.9 HP Yamaha engine and four units of 25-litre jerricans.

According to him, seizures were also made around Okrika LGA, Omerelu in Ikwerre LGA, as well as OML 18 Alakiri, with a cumulative recovery of over 6,000 litres of condensates.

Meanwhile, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Emmanuel Emekah, has  commended the troops for the successes recorded.

He charged them to sustain the tempo against economic saboteurs.

The GOC also called on the people of the region to continue to support the ongoing crackdown  on criminal networks, whose stock-in-trade is the compromise of critical national infrastructure.