Nigerian Navy has vowed to crush oil thieves in the Niger Delta and to lead the charge in achieving a 100 percent reduction in crude oil theft in the region.

The commander of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER, Commodore Desmond Igbo, disclosed this in Port Harcourt while speaking after a gruelling 12-kilometer march with his team to mark the second quarter of the route march.

Igbo declared that the Nigerian Navy is fit and ready to tackle the menace of oil bunkering in the region head-on.

The commander noted that in a show of strength and determination, the march was to demonstrate their readiness to tackle oil theft in the Niger Delta region.

He also declared that his men completed the walk without any casualties, showcasing their fitness and ability to carry out their duties, particularly in the fight against oil bunkering.

Igbo said, “The exercise aims to maintain the physical fitness of Navy personnel, ensuring they can perform their duties effectively and efficiently. Fitness is crucial in the Navy, and the quarterly route marches are essential for maintaining the readiness of Navy men and officers.”

He attributed the success recorded in the fight against oil theft to the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla’s mandate and pledged to build on this momentum to achieve total victory over oil thieves.

The commander noted that Nigeria’s oil production has surged from 1.1 million barrels per day to nearly 1.7 million barrels per day, a testament to the Navy’s collaborative efforts with other security agencies.

Igbo said, “The men behind me are our men, so we went for an almost 12-kilometre walk, and all of us came back completely. Nobody dropped on the way, so that shows you how fit we are to carry out our duties, especially the Anti-bunkering duties.

“We must prevent the enemies of Nigeria from stealing our crude oil and to God be the glory and in pursuance of the Chief of Naval Staff Mandate, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, that we must reduce the incident of oil theft in the Niger Delta and to God be the glory, we have also reduced it to at least 90 percent.

“We are ready to reduce the oil theft incident in Niger Delta to 100 percent if not, God willing, we will do that; the oil production had increased, as you are aware when we came in, it was about 1.1 million, but now we are talking about close to 1.7 million barrels per day, so that is our work and what we have done in collaboration with other security agencies to achieve this feat,” he said.