Troops Arrest 23 Perpetrators Of Oil Theft Worth Over N461 Million
…Rescue Kidnap Hostages
Troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) have arrested 23 perpetrators of oil theft in the South-South Geo-Political region.
Troops also neutralized scores of terrorists while other suspects were arrested.
Addressing newsmen on Thursday, during the biweekly press briefing, Defence Headquarters, Abuja, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, said troops foiled oil theft estimated to the tune of about N461,783,868.00.
According to the General, “Between 10 – 20 March 2025, scores of terrorists were neutralized while other suspects were arrested.
“In the South-South, troops foiled oil theft estimated to the tune of about N461,783,868.00 only.
“The breakdown includes 247,629 liters of crude oil and 198,374 liters of illegally refined AGO.
“Additionally, troops discovered and destroyed 36 crude oil cooking ovens, 42 dugout pits, 28 boats, 33 storage tanks, 65 drums, and 21 illegal refining sites.”
Other items recovered include “pumping machines, tricycles, motorcycles, mobile phones, and some vehicles, amongst others.”
In a related development, troops have recovered a huge cache of assorted arms and ammunition during the week.
The Director further revealed that “The weapons recovered include AK47 rifles, locally fabricated guns, Dane guns, pump action, locally fabricated pistols and RPG tubes, amongst others. The ammunitions recovered include various kinds of 7,62mm ammo as well as RPG bombs.”
General Kangye, however, noted that “The Nigerian military, in conjunction with hybrid forces, ONSA team, and security agencies, continued their offensive against terrorists and other criminal elements in joint operations during the week under review.
“They conducted fighting and confidence-building patrols, raids, ambushes, and clearance, as well as search and rescue operations with resounding successes.
“During operations across various theatres, several terrorists were neutralized. Their collaborators were also apprehended, while some kidnapped victims were rescued.
“The week also witnessed the handover of rehabilitated terrorists to the Borno State Government. Gunrunners, oil theft collaborators, and other violent extremists were also apprehended.
“Several close air support, armed reconnaissance patrols as well as air interdiction missions were conducted by the Air Component during the week,” he said.
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