Soldiers from the 6th Division of the Nigerian Army have acted swiftly to stop criminals. They caught 18 people stealing oil, got back two AK 47 guns, and stopped two armed robbers.
The soldiers also found and destroyed 13 illegal places making oil and seven boats. They also found eight places where thieves illegally connected to pipelines and took more than 60,000 liters of stolen oil.
The Army shared this information on their social media page.
The Army said they acted after getting strong information about thieves trying to damage an oil pipeline. This pipeline belongs to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company and runs through Upatabo Community in Ahoada West Local Government Area (LGA).
The soldiers went to the place and were met with gunfire from the criminals.
“In the fight that happened, the soldiers stopped two criminals, took two AK 47 guns, eight gun magazines, and 69 bullets of 7.62 mm (Special) ammunition. The other thieves ran away. We are still trying to catch the ones who ran away,” the Army said.
At Bille in Degema LGA, soldiers stopped four illegal oil-making places and took two wooden boats and over 6,000 liters of stolen oil. In Odagba village, near the Imo River, they found two more wooden boats with over 5,000 liters of stolen oil. They destroyed one oven and one receiver in the swampy area of Odagba village.
Along the Ndoni Obiafu road, soldiers saw some suspected oil thieves. The thieves ran away and left behind two cars – a KIA with plate number DG 991 PHC Rivers and a Toyota Avalon with plate number GWB 972 HM Abia – and four motorcycles. After looking closer, soldiers found that the vehicles carried over 28 sacks with more than 1,700 liters of stolen oil.