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The Defence Headquarters has announced that troops of Operation Delta Safe destroyed at least 53 illegal crude oil refining sites and arrested 81 suspected oil thieves and other criminals during coordinated operations across the Niger Delta in January.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja while presenting a briefing on the armed forces’ activities for the month.
He explained that the operations were conducted in response to numerous distress calls regarding illegal refining and other criminal activities in the region.
According to Onoja, troops also recovered various arms and ammunition while dismantling several illicit refining camps.
Additional raids were conducted in the Ini and Essien Udim Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State, as well as the Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, resulting in the arrest of five suspects and the seizure of weapons.
He further revealed that, as part of efforts to curb crude oil theft, the air component of Operation Delta Safe conducted armed missions over Bakana and Abuloma communities, where a large barge was sighted syphoning petroleum products and was subsequently neutralised.
Onoja further stated that more than 80 militants surrendered to troops during the period, while eight Cameroon nationals were rescued during cross-border patrols along the Bakassi waterways.
In the South-East, he noted that troops under Operation UDO KA maintained sustained pressure on terrorists, militants, and other criminal activities across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states.
During these operations, several terrorists were neutralised, 22 suspects were arrested, and 11 kidnapped victims were rescued, with weapons and ammunition recovered.
He hinted that security assessments showed a noticeable decline in crime rates across the South-East compared to previous months, attributing the improvement to continuous military operations.
The defence spokesman reaffirmed the military’s commitment to ongoing operations nationwide, assuring the public of continued professionalism, collaboration with other security agencies and a firm resolve to restore peace and stability across the country.
