April 17, (THEWILL) — Troops of the Nigerian Army, under the 81 Division, have uncovered and dismantled a highly coordinated oil theft syndicate operating dangerously close to the Dangote Refinery, exposing fresh vulnerabilities in Nigeria’s critical petroleum infrastructure.
In a pre-dawn operation around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 16, soldiers acting on credible intelligence stormed a concealed bunkering site within the Lekki Free Zone, arresting 14 suspects who were actively siphoning petroleum products through an improvised pipeline system linked from the high sea.
Detailing the operation in a statement signed on Friday by Acting Deputy Director Army Public Relations, 81 Division Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Musa Yahaya, said what authorities discovered at the scene points to a level of sophistication that goes beyond petty oil theft.
According to Yahaya, the suspects had installed an extensive pipeline network stretching from offshore supply points to a tanker truck hidden deep within a bush, using a generator-powered pumping system to move large volumes of petroleum undetected.
The proximity of the illegal operation to the Dangote Refinery, raises serious security concerns about the protection of strategic national assets and the growing audacity of oil theft networks shifting operations into high-value industrial zones.
Military sources said the suspects attempted to flee upon sighting troops but were swiftly overpowered.
Recovered from the scene were a fully loaded tanker truck, a Lexus Highlander SUV (APP 67 JQ Lagos), a Ford Hilux (BY 117 FST Lagos), a pumping machine, a 40HP boat engine, and large quantities of industrial-grade hosepipes—equipment indicative of an organised and well-funded operation.
The arrests and seizures suggest the involvement of a structured syndicate with logistical capacity, raising questions about possible insider collaboration and lapses in surveillance around the Lekki corridor, which has increasingly become a focal point of Nigeria’s energy infrastructure.
The suspects are currently in custody and are expected to be transferred to the prosecuting authorities after preliminary investigations.
In a statement, the Nigerian Army reaffirmed its commitment to tackling crude oil theft and economic sabotage, particularly in emerging industrial hubs.
However, the latest incident underscores a shifting trend in bunkering activities—from the creeks of the Niger Delta to more strategic and commercially sensitive zones.
The Army also called on the public to provide timely intelligence, stressing that community collaboration remains critical in disrupting increasingly sophisticated criminal networks.
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