Armed Forces of Nigeria troops operating in
the South South and South East have dealt a significant blow to criminal and
terrorist networks operating across the Niger Delta and South East regions,
seizing 10,000 litres of stolen crude oil from an illegal refinery, arresting
key members of the IPOB/ESN medical support chain, and intercepting illegal
miners, all within a four-day operational window spanning 29 March to 2 April
2026.
The operations were conducted under
Operation DELTA SAFE in the South South and Operation UDO KA in the South East,
both of which continue to focus on dismantling the financing and logistics
structures that sustain criminality and terrorism in the southern geopolitical
zones of Nigeria.
Operation Delta Safe — Niger Delta Region
On 29 March 2026, troops deployed at
Atabrikang in Eastern Obolo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State
intercepted a HOWO truck conveying three illegal miners with a consignment of
suspected illegally mined black sand. The suspects and exhibits are in troops'
custody pending investigation. The arrest reinforces the military's commitment
to combating illegal mining activities that deprive host communities and the
Nigerian state of legitimate mineral revenues.
"Criminal
networks funding arms through petroleum theft and illegal mining are being
steadily dismantled. Every barrel seized, every refinery destroyed, is a blow
to the financial engine of crime in the Niger Delta."
On 30 March 2026, troops conducted a patrol
at Okarki Forest, Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State, where they
uncovered a fully operational illegal crude oil refining site. Recovered from
the site were 10,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil, three small drums,
three drum receivers, three coolants, a large reservoir, two galvanised pipes,
five hoses, three sacks of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) amounting to approximately
125 litres, and an illegal waste pit. The site has been destroyed and all
recovered items handled in accordance with regulations. Illegal oil bunkering
and artisanal refining, which cause severe environmental degradation and fund
criminal enterprises, remain a priority target for Operation DELTA SAFE.
Operation Udo Ka — South East Theatre
In a major intelligence-led success on 29
March 2026, troops arrested one Simon Chukwumeoru Akpoke, also known by the
alias 'IRON', a suspected IPOB/ESN terrorist, at his hideout in the Ijebu-Igbo
general area, Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State. Akpoke is
documented on the wanted list of 82 Division Area of Responsibility. His
apprehension outside the South East underscores the expanding reach of security
operations beyond traditional theatre boundaries.
On 31 March 2026, troops operating in
conjunction with the Anti-Violence Group arrested a suspected IPOB/ESN member
at a checkpoint in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State. Preliminary
investigation revealed that the suspect is a nurse responsible for providing
medical treatment to wounded terrorists at a camp located at Umunze, Orumba
South Local Government Area of Anambra State. The arrest of a healthcare
professional embedded within a terrorist organisation highlights the group's
deliberate strategy of exploiting civilians and civilian infrastructure in
furtherance of their violent agenda.
"The
IPOB/ESN is not just a gun-wielding organisation — it runs a structured
logistics and medical chain. Dismantling that chain, arrest by arrest, is how
we end this group's capacity to sustain operations."
In a further significant development on the
same date, troops acting on intelligence conducted operations at Oraifite in
Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State and arrested one Miss Ezinna
Anthonia, who confessed to being the principal nurse responsible for treating
wounded IPOB/ESN terrorists following every armed encounter with security
forces. She also confirmed her full membership of the proscribed organisation.
The so-called 'prime minister' of the proscribed group, Ngozi Orabueze,
subsequently posted the suspect's photograph on her X (formerly Twitter)
account, inadvertently corroborating and confirming her affiliation with the
group. A development that has been noted by the military as a
significant misstep by the group's leadership.
The arrest of two nurses embedded within
the IPOB/ESN structure represents a decisive disruption of the group's medical
logistics capability, which has enabled injured members to evade detection by
conventional medical institutions and continue participating in violent
activities.
AFN Vows Continued Pressure
Major General Michael Onoja, Director of
Defence Media Operations, stated that the results from the South confirm the
AFN's all-theatre commitment to eliminating criminality in all its forms.
'Whether it is crude oil theft, illegal mining, or a terror organisation that
has embedded nurses to treat its wounded fighters, the Armed Forces of Nigeria
will find them, and we will bring them to justice,' he declared.
Operations DELTA SAFE and UDO KA will
continue to intensify in the coming weeks, with increased maritime patrols in
the creeks and estuaries of the Niger Delta and expanded intelligence-sharing
arrangements with sister security agencies across the South East states.