Troops of the 6 Division Nigerian Army have arrested twenty two suspected oil thieves and pipeline vandals in Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers communities.

The Army in a statement by its acting director of public relations Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah made available to journalists, said the suspects were apprehended after vandalizing pipelines at Onne in Rivers state, and Delta state where they were operating an illegal refinery camp, as well as in Brass local government area of Bayelsa state where over ninety thousand liters of illegally refined products were Intercepted.

Over a hundred illegal refineries sites were said to have been uncovered in the cause of the operation, which led to the recovery of pumping machines, boats used in the illegal act, drums and hoses among others.

According to the Army, thousands of liters of illegally refined products were confiscated during the exercise, as drums and pots hidden in the forest of various communities were also uncovered in the fight against crude oil theft and other forms of criminality in the region.

The General Officer Commanding 6 Division Nigerian Army Major General Jamal Abdulsalam, urged the troops to ensure zero tolerance for illegal artisanal refinery activities and associated crimes in the Niger Delta region, saying such has no place in the immediate environment and the nations economy.