The Defence Headquarters announced that Operation DELTA SAFE troops dismantled 101 illegal refining sites and apprehended 219 individuals involved in crude oil theft and related crimes during the first quarter of 2026.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Michael Onoja, revealed this at a quarterly media briefing on Tuesday in Abuja, noting that military operations across the South-South region and neighboring states were intensified to tackle oil theft, pipeline vandalism, kidnapping, and other criminal activities.
He added that the troops recovered over 547,920 litres of stolen petroleum products, including crude oil, automotive gas oil, kerosene, and petrol.
The operation covered the first three months of the year.
According to Maj.-Gen. Onoja, troops recovered 193,570 litres of petroleum products and intercepted approximately 45,000 litres of stolen crude oil in Rivers State in March alone.
In addition to targeting illegal refineries, the military carried out other security operations, including neutralising suspected kidnappers, rescuing victims, and dismantling multiple illegal refining sites in Rivers and Imo states.
“Additionally, troops arrested suspected kidnappers in Edo and conducted joint operations with the Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), leading to the arrest of drug suspects,” Onoja said.
He added that troops disrupted illegal oil operations in Akwa Ibom and uncovered a sabotage attempt at a wellhead, where explosives were safely neutralised, underscoring the Armed Forces’ commitment to maintaining the offensive against economic sabotage in the Niger Delta.
Despite ongoing crackdowns, illegal crude oil refining remains a major challenge, especially in the Niger Delta region.
Data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission shows that crude oil theft has caused substantial losses over the years. In 2021, Nigeria lost about 37.6 million barrels of crude oil, averaging roughly 102,900 barrels per day.
Losses fell to approximately 20.9 million barrels in 2022 (57,200 bpd), 4.3 million barrels in 2023 (11,900 bpd), and 4.1 million barrels in 2024 (11,300 bpd).
