The Defense Headquarters (DHQ) on Thursday, revealed that the navel troops operating in the oil-rich Niger delta region have intercepted petroleum products worth N3, 708,259,338.00 from suspected oil thieves in the Niger Delta within two weeks.
Also, it stated that troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the northeast and Operation Hadarin Daji in the northwest killed 57 terrorists within the same period.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Musa Danmadami, disclosed these while briefing journalists on the activities of the troops between August 11 and 25.
He said troops of Operation Delta Safe sustained the war against oil theft and illegal bunkering and other criminal activities in the region to sustain a conducive environment for economic activities to thrive in the south-south region of the country.
They also conducted operational activities in creeks, villages, communities, and towns in the region.
General Musa Danmadami stated that during the operations, troops discovered and destroyed several illegal oil refining sites, tankers, cooking ovens, arms and ammunition, cash, among others.
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Giving a breakdown of the volume of petroleum products recovered from the suspects, he said ‘“During the operation, troops also discovered and destroyed several illegal refining sites which include 493 dugout pits, 512 storage tanks, 413 cooking ovens and 59 wooden boats. Also, troops recovered four tankers, two-speed boats, one generator, one outboard engine, 14 pumping machines, three AK47 rifles, 25,977.15 barrels of crude oil, 3,236,130 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 26,575 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and 2,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosine (DPK).”
He added that eight suspected terrorists were arrested, and also eight guns and other items were recovered during the operation by the Guards Brigade.
The statement added, “On August 13, 2022, troops of Guards Brigade raided some suspected terrorists’ hideouts at Deidei Abattoir in Abuja Municipal Area Council and Dupka village in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
“During the raid operation, eight suspected terrorists were arrested; five AK47 rifles and the pump action guns were recovered, while large quantities of items suspected to be cannabis sativa, three machetes, knives among other items were also recovered.”
