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By Kabir Abdulsalam
The military high command on Friday said it has launched a unified offensive operation in the Niger Delta to combat crude oil theft.
This is coming as President Bola Tinubu gave a marching order to the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Christopher Musa to boost the country’s oil production..
Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, said the operation is to curb the menace of oil theft through a comprehensive approach.
He said rhe operation will be conducted through a unified command structure, involving all security agencies operating in the Niger Delta.
Buba said, “The targeted areas include enforcing transparency by International Oil Companies, ensuring the integrity of metering systems, tracking crude oil from point of loading to destination, and surveillance of pipelines, jackets, and wellheads.
“The operation has already recorded significant successes, with troops neutralizing 125 criminals, arresting 200 persons, and rescuing 140 kidnapped hostages. Additionally, troops recovered 120 assorted weapons, 1,793 assorted ammunition, and destroyed 11 dugout pits, 5 boats, and 20 storage tanks used for illegal refining.
The military also recovered 715,325 liters of stolen crude oil and 148,415 liters of illegally refined AGO. The operation has also led to the arrest of 20 perpetrators of oil theft and the denial of oil theft estimated at N744,153,900.00.”
Buba assured that the military will continue to work with the people of the Niger Delta and stakeholders in the oil sector to boost the nation’s oil production and ensure the prosecution of culprits engaged in crude oil theft.
