The Nigerian Navy has dismantled two illegal refining sites and recovered about 85,300 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude oil during a renewed crackdown on crude oil theft in Rivers State under Operation DELTA SENTINEL.
The operation was conducted in the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni (ONELGA) axis of the State, where naval personnel uncovered and deactivated two illegal refining camps used by crude oil thieves.
The recovered products were hidden in dugout pits and reservoirs, a common method employed by operators of illicit refining sites to conceal stolen petroleum products.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said the latest operation followed the recent destruction of similar illegal refining infrastructure within the same general area, highlighting the persistent efforts of criminal syndicates to resume illegal activities despite intensified military operations.
Folorunsho said the recurring discoveries demonstrate the effectiveness of the Navy’s sustained operational presence across key hotspots in the Niger Delta, noting that continuous patrols and targeted raids have significantly disrupted the activities of economic saboteurs engaged in crude oil theft and illegal refining.
He explained that Operation DELTA SENTINEL has continued to deny criminal networks the freedom to establish and operate illegal refining camps while strengthening the protection of critical oil and gas infrastructure vital to Nigeria’s economy.
The naval spokesman reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to maintaining the offensive against crude oil theft and related economic sabotage, stressing that the Navy would sustain intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling illegal refining networks and safeguarding the nation’s maritime domain and strategic energy assets.
He added that the Nigerian Navy remains resolute in its determination to combat crude oil theft across the Niger Delta, pledging that ongoing operations would continue to target criminal elements undermining the country’s oil and gas sector.