Troops of the 29 Battalion under the Joint Task Force South-South, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), have uncovered an illegal refining site and recovered about 600 litres of suspected stolen crude oil in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Security sources disclosed that the operation was carried out around 10:00 a.m. on May 12, 2026, during intensified anti-illegal bunkering raids across the Niger Delta.
The troops reportedly stormed the illegal facility located near Asa community, where they discovered a large cooking pot filled with suspected stolen crude oil alongside several sacks used for stockpiling the product.
Military authorities said the recovered items and equipment were handled in line with operational guidelines regulating anti-crude oil theft operations under Operation Delta Safe.
Sources added that the operation was executed successfully without any exchange of fire or security breach.
The latest discovery highlights the military’s sustained crackdown on crude oil theft, illegal refining, and other forms of economic sabotage threatening Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region.
Operation Delta Safe has in recent months intensified surveillance, raids, and destruction of illegal refining camps as security agencies move to protect national oil assets and curb massive revenue losses linked to oil theft.
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