Defence minister Mohammed Badaru says the Operation ‘Delta Safe’ action in the South-South region yielded results as Nigeria’s oil production increased.

According to a statement on Thursday, Mr Badaru said this during his maiden visit to the Headquarters of the Nigerian Army 6 Division, Port Harcourt.

The minister commended the operations of the division/land component joint task force of the operation for their continued fight against oil theft and other forms of criminalities in the region.

According to him, the increase in oil production is a testament to the sustained fight by the special task force.

Mr Badaru also reaffirmed his confidence that with the detailed plan agreed by the chief of defence staff, there was hope of defeating the crime of oil theft in the region.

“Certainly, we are seeing progress. Oil production has increased, and it will continue to increase. I assure you that before the end of this year, you will see a tremendous increase in oil production,” he added.

He, therefore, urged the Operation Delta Safe to intensify and enhance extant measures in the Niger Delta region to ensure increased oil production.

Maj.-Gen. JH Abdussalam, General Officer Commanding (GOC), the 6 Division/Land Component Joint Task Force South South Operation Delta Safe, said they have strengthened the fighting capability of the troops.

Mr Abdussalam also said robust joint measures had been put up to thwart the activities of oil thieves and deny freedom of action of some criminal groups like IPOB/ESE.

He reiterated the task force’s commitment to sustaining the anti-oil theft operations until the federal government’s target of two million barrels per day was achieved by the end of 2024.

(NAN)