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Nigerian Navy and Army operatives disrupted illegal petroleum activities in Imo State over the weekend and arrested three suspects in a coordinated operation.

The Navy also destroyed an illegal refining site (IRS) worth millions of naira, which had been dismantled earlier.

These operational successes were detailed in statements released yesterday by the Director of Naval Information (DINFO), Captain Abiodun Folorunsho.

In Imo, personnel from Naval Base Oguta and the Nigerian Army intercepted a tipper truck and a Toyota Hiace bus carrying about 8,500 litres of suspected illegally refined petroleum products along the Ejemekuru-Obudi-Agwa axis.

The Hiace bus was found with about 150 bags of the suspected products. Three suspects were arrested, while other occupants of the second vehicle fled, abandoning it, the Navy said.

The suspects, vehicles and recovered products have been taken into custody for further investigation, the service added.

In Rivers, operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Soroh, acting on intelligence about the suspected reactivation of illegal refining activities, uncovered and disrupted three illegal refining sites in the Okolomade and Ogbogolo areas under Operation Delta Sentinel.

The sites yielded two cooking drums, two large ovens, 10 reservoirs, four storage facilities and two makeshift camps believed to have sheltered illegal refiners. Investigators also recovered about 91,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and roughly 70 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).

The Navy said the facilities and recovered items were handled in accordance with established procedures.

It said both operations reflected sustained inter-service cooperation and intelligence-led security efforts to disrupt the illegal movement of petroleum products and deny criminal elements access to established routes for economic crimes.

The Navy restated its commitment to deepening collaboration with the Army and other security agencies to combat crude oil theft, illegal refining and the illicit movement of petroleum products, while protecting the country’s critical economic interests.

It pledged that Operation Delta Sentinel would continue to degrade infrastructure supporting oil theft in previously affected areas.

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Terrorists operating in Sokoto State and other parts of the North-West are facing intensified aerial bombardment as the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) sustains airstrikes to disrupt their activities and deny them freedom of movement.

The NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the intensified air operations reflected the Service’s determination to sustain pressure on hostile elements, enhance aerial surveillance and maintain the capacity for rapid response to emerging threats.

He said the NAF would continue to provide effective air support to ground forces operating within the Joint Operations Area.

Ejodame said the strengthened air presence was particularly significant in tackling asymmetric threats, as terrorists and bandits often exploit difficult terrain, mobility and concealment to evade ground forces.

According to him, the NAF’s ability to leverage the reach, speed, flexibility and precision of airpower would enhance efforts to locate, disrupt and degrade hostile elements, deny them freedom of movement, and create greater operational opportunities for surface forces to consolidate their gains.

He added that the operations underscored the importance of sustained coordination between air and ground forces in addressing evolving security challenges across the region.

The NAF spokesperson quoted the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, as saying that the Service would continue to optimise the employment of airpower to deliver decisive effects in support of ongoing joint operations.

Aneke stressed that the evolving security environment required timely intelligence, responsive airpower and seamless integration with surface forces.

“Our objective is clear: to sustain the pressure on criminal elements, deny them freedom of action and create the conditions for our surface forces to dominate the operational environment.

“We will continue to employ airpower intelligently, professionally and decisively, in synergy with our sister Services and other security agencies, while maintaining the highest regard for the safety of civilians,” he said.

Ejodame said the NAF remained focused on maintaining operational readiness and ensuring that hostile elements were denied the freedom to threaten innocent communities.

He added that the Service remained committed to supporting national efforts to restore peace and stability across the North-West by working closely with the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to protect lives and property, disrupt terrorist and criminal networks and safeguard vulnerable communities.

The NAF urged Nigerians to support ongoing security operations by providing timely and credible information to the appropriate authorities.

Meanwhile, troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA have rescued six kidnapped victims during a sustained offensive against terrorists in Katsina State.

The Media Information Officer of the operation, Lt.-Col. Aliyu Danja, said the victims were rescued in the Dandume Local Government Area of the state.

Danja said the troops made contact with the terrorists on August 22 while on a fighting patrol, after the criminals had intercepted the victims’ vehicle along the Dandume-Sheme Road and taken them hostage.

He said the troops swiftly advanced to the area and engaged the terrorists with superior firepower, forcing them to abandon their captives and flee into the surrounding bushes.

“The troops advanced to the area and made contact with the terrorists, overwhelming them with superior firepower and forcing them to abandon their captives and flee into the surrounding bushes,” he said.

Danja said the troops subsequently combed the area and rescued all six victims unharmed, recovering N800,000 allegedly taken from them by the terrorists.

He added that the recovered money and vehicle were handed over to the victims in the presence of the Divisional Police Officer, Dandume.

He further disclosed that on August 21, troops of Sector 2 encountered terrorists along the Maraban Kankara axis in Kankara Local Government Area.

According to him, the troops swiftly engaged the terrorists, forcing them to flee in disarray into the surrounding bushes.

“Troops pursued the fleeing elements before exploiting the area, during which one motorcycle was recovered,” he said.

Danja said the Joint Task Force North-West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, remained resolute in sustaining aggressive patrols and offensive operations to deny terrorists freedom of action and protect lives and property.

“The Theatre appreciates the continued support of members of the public and urges communities to provide timely and credible information to security forces in support of ongoing operations,” he said.

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The Bayelsa State Police Command has rescued a 42-year-old woman, Esther Chinedu, who was abducted in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state, after spending nearly one month in captivity.

The victim was abducted on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, after suspected kidnappers reportedly stormed her phone shop under the guise of wanting to buy an item.

The Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command, CP Ajao Adewale, disclosed this on Sunday morning while briefing journalists on the successful operation, saying the woman was rescued unhurt from the kidnappers’ hideout in Ogumbri Forest, South-Dajo area.

Adewale said the command received a distress call at about 7 pm on the day of the abduction and immediately activated its intelligence network to track the perpetrators.

He said intelligence gathering, including digital and local sources, eventually provided clues on the movements of the kidnappers and their ransom negotiations with the victim’s family.

According to him, the kidnappers initially demanded N100m but later reduced the ransom to N20m.

The CP said operatives of the command’s Crime Response Squad, led by CSP Chris Mark, relocated to Ogumbri Forest five days before the final operation and began closing in on the suspects.

He said the operatives stormed the kidnappers’ camp at about 1:45 a.m., rescuing the victim and arresting one of the suspected kidnappers.

The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Mark from Akemfa 1 community, was arrested during the operation.

The CP said the suspect had confessed to his involvement in the abduction and explained how the gang allegedly carried out the operation.

According to Adewale, the suspects approached the woman’s shop under the pretext of buying food before taking advantage of the situation to abduct her.

“They surveyed the environment and saw that the woman was not sufficiently protected. They abducted her, put her in a vehicle and moved her to the riverside, where she was ferried to the camp,” he said.

The police commissioner said the rescue operation involved personnel from the Crime Response Squad, the Federal Criminal Investigation Unit and the Marine Department.

He commended the officers and men who participated in the operation, particularly those who endured difficult conditions on the river while tracking the kidnappers.

He also appreciated the Bayelsa State Government, led by Governor Douye Diri, for providing logistical support for the operation.

Adewale warned criminals operating in the state that the command would continue to hunt them down.

Husband recounts ordeal
The victim’s husband, who spoke after the rescue, recounted the difficult period he went through while negotiating with the kidnappers for his wife’s release.

He said he travelled to Abia State early on July 28 to purchase mattresses and began receiving strange calls after 8 a.m., informing him that his wife had been kidnapped.

“I have been in Bayelsa for the past 20 years. I have not had anything kidnapping in Amassoma. Why is it my wife?” he recalled asking himself when he first received the information.

The husband said he later contacted one of the callers, who confirmed that his wife had been abducted.

He said the Divisional Police Officer also contacted him and informed him that two patrol teams had been deployed to his residence along Amassoma Road.

According to him, while returning to Bayelsa, he received a call from his wife’s phone demanding N2m, with instructions to transfer N1m each into two different accounts.

He said he only had N300,000 in his account and transferred the money to one of the accounts supplied by the kidnappers.

However, after he arrived in Amassoma, the kidnappers called again and instructed him not to pay into the previous account.

He said one of the suspects then took over the phone and increased the ransom demand to N100m.

The husband said the kidnappers later reduced the demand to N20m after he pleaded with them, explaining that he did not have the money.

He said the negotiations continued for days, during which the kidnappers subsequently demanded N3m.

According to him, he eventually managed to raise another N1.5m, which he transferred to an account provided by the kidnappers.

He said the total amount paid was therefore about N1.8m, but the kidnappers continued to demand more money.

The husband said the situation also created tension between members of both families, as his wife’s mother reportedly confronted his own mother over the delay in securing her daughter’s release.

He said the kidnappers later demanded another N3.5m and promised to release his wife after the payment.

The husband said he eventually received the call that the police had rescued his wife.

“When they called me and said, ‘Come around and hand over your wife to me,’ that was when I knew the police had carried out their mission,” he said.

He described the period of his wife’s captivity as extremely difficult, saying he had to keep their children away from their home for their safety.

He said his young son repeatedly asked about his mother and that he struggled to explain her absence.

“When I went there yesterday, my last one was like, ‘Where is your mummy?’ I don’t really know what to answer the little boy,” he said.

Victim: ‘The place was very terrible’
The rescued woman also recounted how she was abducted and taken to the forest.

She said the kidnappers came to her shop pretending to buy something before bringing out guns.

“They said they wanted to buy something from my shop. Then, as I entered inside, that was when they brought out the gun and carried me,” she said.

She said the kidnappers left her daughter and another woman who was at the shop before taking her away.

According to her, she was moved through several boats before arriving at the location where she was held.

She said she did not know the exact location and described the environment as extremely difficult.

“There was like two, three days to be one month. And the place was very terrible, very, very terrible,” she said.

The woman said the kidnappers gave her food, but she often refused to eat because of her emotional state.

She said she was not sexually assaulted and was not seriously beaten during her captivity, except for one occasion when one of the kidnappers hit her while she was praying.

She also confirmed that the kidnappers initially demanded N100m before eventually reducing the ransom to N20m.

The victim expressed gratitude to the police for rescuing her.

“I thank the glory to Almighty God and to you people that rescued me,” she said.

She prayed for the officers involved in the operation, saying, “May God keep, strengthen and guide them. Also, may all that they want, may God provide it for them.”

The successful operation comes amid renewed efforts by the Bayelsa State Police Command to intensify its fight against kidnapping and other forms of criminality in the state.

CP Adewale assured residents that the command would continue to work with relevant stakeholders to make the state increasingly difficult for criminals to operate.

He urged residents to support the police with useful information and advised youths to take advantage of legitimate economic and empowerment opportunities rather than resort to crime.