Nigerian troops apprehend numerous individuals during a week-long operation targeting oil theft

Nigerian troops apprehended 43 individuals suspected of oil theft and confiscated over 254,000 liters of stolen fuel during a series of operations throughout the oil-rich Niger Delta, the army reported on Monday.

According to a statement from acting army spokesperson Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, the operations conducted over the week from March 31 to April 6 focused on illegal refining sites and transport networks utilized by oil thieves.

During the operations, troops successfully destroyed 14 artisanal refineries and demobilized 14 boats.

In Nigeria’s oil-rich delta, oil theft and illegal refining are prevalent as impoverished locals and organized criminal gangs tap into pipelines to produce fuel for sale and profit.

Seizures occurred in Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta states. Danjuma reported that thousands of liters of stolen crude oil and refined products, as well as vehicles and equipment, were recovered from a large, illegal bunkering site in the Sapele area of Delta.