The operation, which took place over the course of a week and involved cooperation with different security services in other communities throughout the region, was successful.

The operation, which included four states—Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Delta—took place between March 17 and March 23, 2025.

According to Danjuma, “between March 17 and March 23, 2025, troops of the Nigerian Army’s 6th Division conducted a number of operations while building on prior operational successes.” Over 138,000 liters of stolen petroleum products were seized throughout the Joint Operations Area as a result of these activities, which also resulted in the destruction of 19 artisanal refineries and the arrest of 12 accused oil thieves.

The driver got out of the truck and ran away when he saw the military. Upon searching the car, several license plates were found.

Furthermore, numerous illegal refineries were destroyed as a result of clearance operations in the Imo River area. Additionally, 64 drum pots and 15 drum receivers with more than 4,500 liters of stolen goods were recovered.

Troops found 40 sacks holding more than 1,200 liters of stolen crude oil at Kumufari Creek in the Degema Local Government Area, along with an abandoned refining oven. A 6 KVA generator, a welding machine, five drilling machines, two drilling cups, and other bolts and nuts were found during another raid in the Okotokolomabia/Okoloma Lounge neighborhood of Bonny Island.

Additionally, illicit bunkering camps in the states of Rivers and Bayelsa were the focus of the operation. Troops demolished illegal refining facilities at Joinkrama 4 and Biseni, recovering 850 liters of illegally refined automotive gasoline oil and more than 25,000 liters of stolen crude. Cellophane bags on the rivers also yielded more than 1,550 liters of stolen crude.