Emmanuel Onani 
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), yesterday, said troops seized stolen crude oil worth over N3, 708, 259, 338.00 from economic saboteurs in the South South zone, between 11th and 25th August. Besides the seized stolen crude, troops also destroyed illegal refineries, thereby denying economic saboteurs freedom of action in the creeks.
The Director of Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj-Gen Musa Danmadami, disclosed this at the biweekly operational briefing in Abuja The DDMO added that at least eight suspected terrorists were arrested in ongoing operations by troops at the Dei-Dei Abattoir in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
“Troops of Operation Delta Safe have continued the war against oil theft and illegal bunkering and other criminal activities in the Niger Delta to sustain a conducive environment for economic activities to thrive in the South South region of the country. “Consequently, troops of Operation Delta Safe in the conduct of operations Octopus Grip and Operation Dakar Da Barawo conducted operational activities in creeks, villages, communities and towns,” Danmadami said, adding: “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.” His words: “Also, troops recovered four tankers, two speed boats, one generator, one outboard engine boat, 14 pumping machines, three AK47 rifles, (25,977.15), barrels of crude oil, 3,236,130 litres of automotive gas oil, 26,575 litres of premium motor spirit and 2,000 litres of dual purpose kerosine (DPK). “Troops also arrested 21 pipeline vandals. All recovered items and apprehended oil thieves were handed over to the appropriate authorities for further action. “Cumulatively, a total value of products denied oil thieves from the period in review are N1,313,020,242.00 of crude oil; N2,374,607,471.00 of AGO; N4,650,625.00 of PMS and N15,981,000.00) of DPK. Consequently, a grand total of N3,708,259,338.00 was denied the oil thieves.” In a related development, the DDMO noted: “On 13 August 2022 troops of Guards Brigade raided some suspected terrorist hideout at Deidei Abattoir in Abuja Municipal Area Council and Dupka village in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory. “During the operation eight suspected terrorists were arrested, five AK47 rifles and three pump action guns were recovered, while large quantities of items suspected to be cannabis sativa, three machetes and knives, among other items.”
