Nigerian troops have foiled oil theft operations valued at N91 billion over the past year following a major crackdowns on oil theft and illegal refining activities.
As part of this effort, the military destroyed 3,051 dugout pits used by criminals for illicit oil extraction, marking a major victory in the country’s fight against economic sabotage and environmental degradation.
The revelation came to the fore during a joint press briefing by security, defence, and response agencies, organised by Office of the National Security Advisor under the Strategic Communications Interagency Advisory Policy Committee (SCIAPC) in Abuja yesterday.
The briefing was the gathering of image managers of all security agencies in the country.Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, announced that increased patrols by the Nigerian Navy and international collaborations prevented oil thieves from accessing N91,247,052,565.
He noted said troops uncovered and destroyed 3,051 dugout pits, 1,276 boats, 3,924 storage tanks and 408 vehicles, while also seizing substantial quantities of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products.
His words: “In our counter-terrorism and insurgency operations, troops neutralised 9,303 insurgents, arrested 6,998 individuals, and rescued 4,641 hostages. Additionally, 9,562 Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters and their families surrendered to security forces. In the fight against oil theft, 1,437 perpetrators were apprehended, with 363 neutralsed. Furthermore, 245 kidnapped hostages were rescued, leading to a marked decrease in insurgent activities.”
Buba detailed that during the past year, the ONSA hosted the High-Level Africa Counter-Terrorism Meeting, where included President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the UN Deputy Secretary-General and other global leaders focused on stability in the Sahel region and anti-terrorism efforts.
The ONSA, he added, facilitated the UK-Nigeria security and defence dialogue and, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria, implemented economic security measures.
Special Adviser, Strategic Communication to the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, in his opening remarks, attributed robust interagency collaborations to successes in the ongoing security operations across the federation.
