The Nigerian Armed Forces have destroyed 51 dugout pits and 105 illegal refining sites, in a crackdown on illegal activities in the Niger Delta.
This operation, part of effort to combat oil theft and illegal refining in the region, led to the recovery of substantial quantities of stolen crude oil and refined products.
This was disclosed in a statement released by Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, on Friday in Abuja.
According to him, troops in the Niger Delta, discovered and destroyed 51 dugout pits, 38 boats, and 51 storage tanks.
Other seized items included 215 cooking ovens, 2 speedboats, 44 drums, 3 tugboats, 3 barges, 4 wheelbarrows, 1 outboard engine, 15 vehicles, 3 motorcycles, 6 mobile phones, and 105 illegal refining sites.
The operations also led to the recovery of 1,099,860 liters of stolen crude oil, 1,101,700 liters of illegally refined AGO, 27,350 liters of DPK, and 150 liters of PMS.
In the South-South region, the military prevented the theft of oil valued at approximately N1.86 billion.
During the past week, military operations also led to the neutralization of 220 terrorists and the arrest of 395 individuals.
Among those arrested were 55 individuals involved in oil theft, and troops also rescued 202 kidnapped hostages.
“The armed forces recovered an extensive cache of 432 assorted weapons and 9,004 rounds of ammunition.
“The recovered items include 3 PKT guns, 1 G3 rifle, 83 AK-47 rifles, 18 locally fabricated guns, 16 dane guns, 2 pump-action guns, 2 double-barrel guns, 2 single-barrel guns, 8 locally fabricated pistols, 2 revolver rifles, 1 hand grenade, 14 RPG bombs, 1 RPG launcher, 2 tear gas launchers, 234 smoke grenades, and 1 bandolier. Additionally, troops seized 5,893 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 2,064 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 401 rounds of 9mm ammo, 200 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 154 rounds of 7.62 x 51mm, 195 live cartridges, 17 magazines, 3 Baofeng radios, 8 vehicles, 32 motorcycles, 59 mobile phones, and a sum of N813,550 among other items’, Buba noted.
According to him, the Nigerian Armed Forces ramped up intelligence operations to target and strike terrorist hideouts effectively, while intensifying efforts to eliminate terrorists and dismantle the infrastructure supporting them.
Buba also stated that operational strategies have been adjusted to prioritize the protection of farmers to ensure a successful rainy season.
He said that the Nigerian Armed Forces remained committed to employing significant firepower to neutralize terrorists and disrupt their activities nationwide.
According to Buba, winning the war against terrorism is non-negotiable.
