…recovers stolen products worth N7.4bn in Q1
The Nigerian Armed Forces have recovered stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products worth ₦7.4 billion from economic saboteurs between January and March 2025
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen. Marcus Kangye, who made this disclosure on Thursday at the regular operational briefing in Abuja, said the first quarter witnessed an aggressive operational tempo by troops in conjunction with hybrid forces and other security agencies in the country.
The senior officer assured of strict observance of the laws of armed conflict, rules of engagement and code of conduct by the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) during internal security operations.
“The troops demonstrated uncommon bravery, resilience, determination and strong will during various encounters throughout the quarter, including fighting and confidence building patrols, raids, ambushes and clearance as well as search and rescue operations with remarkable outcomes”, he stated.
He added that the Air component also conducted reconnaissance, close air support and interdiction missions with high success rates, which seriously degraded the terrorist’s strength and will to fight.
His words: “During the quarter, many terrorist commanders such as Abba Allai (aka Amirul Khalid of Alafa), Abdullahi (aka Honour), Jagaban and Dan Danger amongst others were neutralized, Abdullahi Ali who was captured alive with severe gun wounds, while this efforts by our gallant troops created gaps in the command and leadership structures of BHTs as well as ISWAP/JAS terrorists.
“There was also infighting for supremacy within the ranks of the various terrorist factions, which sparked cracks in their leadership hierarchy, hence the observed confusion in their various camps.
“Our gallant troops exploited the situation and dealt decisively with them on various fronts, hence their resort to attack on soft targets and the use of IEDs and isolated ambushes.
“The sustained operations against the terrorists also led to the arrest of scores of them, rescue of kidnapped hostages as well as surrendering of many to our troops. Some gunrunners and terrorists’ logistics suppliers, such as Alhaji Mansur Mohammed, Shehu Babangida, Sagi David, Blessing Paul, and Shuaibu Maji, were also arrested.
“During the Quarter, Operation DELTA SAFE foiled oil theft worth over Seven Billion, Four Hundred and Twenty-Eight Million, Six Hundred and Forty-Eight Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-Six Naira (7,428,648,246.00) only. The breakdown indicates 6,290,437 litres of stolen crude oil, 1,319,350 litres of illegally refined AGO, 6,130 litres of DPK and 4,545 litres of PMS.
“Additionally, troops discovered and destroyed 257 crude oil cooking ovens, 128 dugout pits, 192 boats, 138 storage tanks, 236 drums and 122 illegal refining sites. Other items recovered include barge, speedboats, pumping machines, drilling machines, and over 90 vehicles.”
Meanwhile, troops also recovered large quantities of assorted arms and ammunition, including machine guns, RPG tubes, automatic weapons as well and locally fabricated guns and IEDs.
Also, a huge cache of assorted 7.62mm and 9mm ammunition, as well as live cartridges, were also recovered.
