The Defence Headquarters announced on Thursday that over the past two weeks, troops successfully thwarted crude oil theft amounting to N1.2 billion, coinciding with an increase in Nigeria’s oil production capacity in September.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, shared this information during a press briefing in Abuja, highlighting the recent military efforts.
Buba expressed the military’s determination to neutralize terrorists attempting small-scale attacks on vulnerable targets, and he provided some impressive statistics from their recent operations. In the course of one week, troops eliminated 73 terrorists, apprehended 182 individuals, and rescued 68 hostages.
He stated, “The ongoing counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations have effectively thwarted the strategic objectives of these malevolent elements. The Military will persist in diminishing their capacity to carry out small-scale attacks aimed at inciting fear in local communities.”
The director also pointed out that troops identified and eradicated 63 illegal refining sites, which contained 15 dugout pits, 45 boats, 87 storage tanks, 128 cooking ovens, one pumping machine, and four outboard engines. Additionally, 14 suspected oil thieves were arrested.
Buba further disclosed that the troops recovered 962,500 liters of stolen crude oil, 35,420 liters of illegally refined AGO, 38,450 liters of DPK, and 45,000 liters of PMS, with an estimated value of N1,212,046,140.
It is worth noting that oil theft has posed a significant challenge, depleting the country’s oil production capacity. However, the recent intensified efforts against oil theft contributed to a surge in Nigeria’s oil production capacity in September, reaching 1.7 million barrels per day, up from the 1.1 million barrels per day recorded in August.
