The Defence Headquarters has announced significant gains recorded by troops of Operation Delta Safe in the ongoing fight against crude oil theft and related crimes in the Niger Delta region.
According to the military, no fewer than 53 illegal refining sites were destroyed, while 81 suspected oil thieves and other criminals were arrested during sustained operations carried out in January.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the activities of the armed forces within the period under review.
Onoja explained that the troops responded swiftly to multiple distress calls, many of which were connected to sea piracy, illegal oil refining, and other criminal acts threatening economic assets and community safety in the region.
He noted that during the coordinated operations, personnel of Operation Delta Safe dismantled several illicit refining camps and recovered assorted arms and ammunition, further weakening the operational capacity of criminal networks.
The Defence Headquarters reaffirmed the military’s commitment to sustaining pressure on oil thieves and criminal elements, stressing that the operations are part of broader efforts to protect national assets, ensure maritime security, and support economic stability in the Niger Delta.
