The Nigerian Army said the combined troops of 302 Artillery and 14 Field Engineer Regiments of the Nigerian Army, discovered 57 sacks of illegally refined automation gas oil, hidden in a community health centre at Egbema Shell and Egbema West respectively in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.

Spokesperson of the Army, Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement, said the discovery was made at an illegal refining site on Monday, 16 October 2023, while troops were conducting operations against terrorists.

Other discoveries made include several drums and crude oil ovens, laden with stolen crude oil, and a dug-out pit containing about 50,000 litres of crude oil.

In a separate operation on the same day, troops of 34 Artillery Brigade conducted an offensive operation against oil thieves in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.

The troops recovered several items from the camp, including one crude oil cooking oven, three reservoirs, and several connecting hoses and pipes.

Also recovered are three mobile phones, one Power Generating set, three Pumping machines, one CCTV Camera mounted on a tree top, a substance suspected to be cannabis, and some fetish objects.

In the same operation, the troops captured two locally made Artillery Projectile Launchers from fighters of the Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network (IPOB/ESN).

The artillery weapons, armed with projectiles were seized alongside other items, as troops swooped on the dissident fighters, who fled in disarray, deserting their camp on sighting troops’ advancement.

In the operation, one combatant of the dissident group was arrested and several items, including 48 rounds of 7.62 mm NATO ammunition, 4 mobile phones, one handheld communication radio and substance suspected to be cannabis, among others were recovered by the troops.
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