The Nigerian Army has confirmed the rescue of Akari Eloghonan Loveday, the Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Samuel Ogbuku.
In a statement on Sunday, the Acting Deputy Director of 6 Division, Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, said that Loveday was abducted on March 7 along the Ayakoro Community waterways in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Troops of the 6 Division, in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy Ship SOROH, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Police Force, launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation. The intense pressure forced the kidnappers to abandon their victims and flee into the creeks.
The statement highlighted the role of local community members, who blocked possible escape routes, aiding the success of the mission.
Loveday has since reunited with the NDDC MD and Ayakoro community leaders, while security forces continue combing the area to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
Commending the troops, Major General Emmanuel Eric Emekah, General Officer Commanding 6 Division, urged them to sustain efforts in securing the waterways and tracking down criminal elements.
Meanwhile, the troops of the 6 Division, have intensified their operations against oil theft in the Niger Delta, leading to the arrest of 16 suspects and the destruction of multiple illegal refining sites.
The crackdown conducted between February 24 and March 2, 2025, also resulted in the confiscation of over 24,000 litres of stolen crude and refined products across the region.
It said that in Rivers State, troops intercepted a truck loaded with 140 sacks of stolen crude—estimated at over 7,500 litres—at Refinery Checkpoint in Okrika LGA, but the driver fled upon sighting security operatives.
In Ekpe-Mgbede in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, troops dismantled three illegal refining sites, which contained 28 locally made ovens and three large empty metal drums. Similarly, at Buguma in Asari-Toru LGA, an illegal refining site was destroyed, with four drum pots and a large tarpaulin storage facility confiscated.
