Nigeria security forces seize stolen crude and kill bandit leader in major operations
The Nigerian Navy intercepted the oil tanker MT FILIA on 23 July 2026 in the offshore terminal of Akwa Ibom State. The vessel, sailing under the flag of São Tomé and Príncipe, was found to have loaded about 650 metric tonnes of crude oil valued at more than N 660 million. Nigerian naval officers arrested 12 crew members and seized the stolen crude, averting further maritime pollution. The operation was part of Operation Delta Sentinel, launched in January 2026 to curb oil theft, illegal bunkering and sea‑robbery.
In a separate land operation, Nigerian security forces engaged a bandit assault on Guga Village in Bakori, Katsina State on 26 July 2026. Over 200 heavily armed bandits, led by the notorious kingpin Idi Abasu Aiki, attacked the community. Joint forces comprising the Nigerian Army’s 17 Brigade, the Katsina State Community Watch Corps and local hunters repelled the incursion, killing more than 40 bandits and eliminating senior commander Iliya Mai Rasha. Aki was reported critically wounded. The operation was hailed as a major setback to the criminal network operating across the Katsina‑Zamfara corridor.
Entities: Idi Abasu Aiki · Iliya Mai Rasha · MT FILIA · Nigerian Navy
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Katsina operation involved the Nigerian Army’s 17 Brigade, the Katsina State Community Watch Corps, and local hunters.
- [● 2 SOURCES] More than 40 bandits were neutralised in the same Katsina operation.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Security forces killed bandit leader Iliya Mai Rasha during a clash in Guga Village on 26 July 2026.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The vessel carried about 650 metric tonnes of crude oil valued at over N 660 million.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Idi Abasu Aiki sustained severe gunshot wounds during the Katsina battle.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Operation Delta Sentinel was launched in January 2026 to combat oil theft and maritime crime.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Nigerian naval officers arrested 12 crew members on the intercepted tanker.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Nigerian Navy intercepted the oil tanker MT FILIA on 23 July 2026.