Troops of 6 Division, Nigerian Army (NA), have arrested 43 suspected oil thieves, uncovered 27 illegal bunkering sites, as well as recovered over 161,000 litres of stolen products across the Niger Delta in the latest crackdown.

The operations were conducted in synergy with other security agencies between May 26 and June 8, 2025.

According to the Acting Deputy Director of 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, troops in Bayelsa State, along Zarama-Joinkrama 4, discovered an illegal connection point at Wellhead 10 connected to an illegal refining site.

Danjuma said that in a follow-up operation conducted, five cooking ovens, five reservoirs, five dugout pits, a generator and over 30,000 litres of stolen crude were recovered, while at Biseni Community, Adibawa in Yenagoa Local Council, two illegal connection points to the pipeline, linked to an illegal refining site, were discovered.

Additionally, according to him, 19 big pots, 18 drum pots, 36 drum receivers, 19 drum coolants, a pumping, and six metallic drum receivers stocked with over 4,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO) and over 27,600 litres of stolen crude stored in 460 sacks were handled.

He added that operations conducted at Luka Creek, around Lagosgbene in Southern Ijaw Council, led to the discovery of an illegal refining site with over 1,500 litres of stolen products confiscated, adding that at Tamogbene in Ekeremor Council, 71 big pipes, and 30 small pipes, concealed under logs of woods, one 40HP engine and a wooden boat were recovered, as well as two suspected vandals conveying the items in a boat absconded on sighting troops.

MEANWHILE, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has launched a tree-planting campaign aimed at promoting environmental sustainability and community development in the Niger Delta region.

The campaign kicked off with a stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt to create awareness and spur behavioural changes as part of the activities marking this year’s World Environment Day.

The NDDC Director of Environmental Protection and Control, Onouha Obeka, assured that the Commission was committed to enhancing biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and improving the quality of life of the people in the region.

He commended the stakeholders, who volunteered for the cause, urging them to remember the importance of environmental stewardship and collective action in creating a more sustainable future for the Niger Delta.

The Director emphasised the importance of tree planting in addressing critical issues that contribute to environmental degradation, including the lack of eco-friendly practices, deforestation, and unethical business practices.