The Nigerian Navy has arrested six suspected oil thieves, recovered stolen crude, and destroyed illegal refining sites in Bayelsa State.
In a statement, Director of Naval Information, Commodore Aiwiyor Adams-Aliu, revealed that the arrests and recoveries occurred during operations conducted between August 29 and September 2 by naval operatives deployed for “Operation Delta Sanity”.
ADBN correspondent Funmilola Adeyemi, reports that efforts to combat crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region have intensified. Within the past week, six suspected oil thieves were apprehended with 109 sacks of illegally refined petroleum products along the Ogboinbiri-Kasama-Azama-Isoni axis of Bayelsa State.
On August 31, four fiber and two wooden boats were also recovered in the same area.
Commodore Adams-Aliu added that on August 29, seven large Cotonou boats and two fiber boats operated by armed criminals loading crude oil from an illegal point near the Botokiri axis of Nembe Local Government Area in Bayelsa State were seized.
On September 1, troops in the Otuogori community, Yenagoa, seized two wooden boats and 328 sacks of illegally refined automotive gas oil. A similar operation on September 2 resulted in the seizure of 35 sacks of illegally refined automotive gas oil in a wooden boat at the Gbaraun area of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
These successes underscore the effectiveness of *Operation Delta Sanity* and the Nigerian Navy’s determination to sustain efforts to eradicate crude oil theft and enhance oil production in the country.