By Harriet Tornguvan
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal refining activities in the Niger Delta, successfully frustrating attempts by economic saboteurs to revive illegal refining operations in Rivers State.
The operation, carried out under Operation Delta Sentinel, led to the discovery and dismantling of two illegal refining sites in the Oseokishikpa axis of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of the state.
According to a statement issued by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder conducted the intelligence-led operation following credible information on renewed illegal activities in the area.
During the raid, naval operatives uncovered two illegal refining sites comprising eight dugout pits and reservoirs containing about 15,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and 105,000 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
The Navy described the discovery as significant, noting that it exposed ongoing efforts by criminal elements to reactivate illegal refining infrastructure that had previously been dismantled by security agencies within the same area.
"The operation not only disrupted illicit activities but also prevented the re-establishment of a refining network capable of sustaining crude oil theft and environmental degradation," the statement said.
The service added that the illegal refining sites and recovered petroleum products were handled in line with existing anti-crude oil theft procedures, thereby denying the perpetrators access to resources intended to support their criminal enterprise.
The latest operation underscores the Navy's commitment to combating oil theft, a major threat to Nigeria's economy and the environment in the Niger Delta region.
Captain Folorunsho reaffirmed that the Nigerian Navy would continue to sustain intelligence-driven operations under Operation Delta Sentinel aimed at dismantling crude oil theft networks, protecting critical national infrastructure, and safeguarding the nation's economic interests.
The renewed offensive comes amid ongoing efforts by security agencies and the Federal Government to curb the activities of oil thieves and illegal refiners whose operations have continued to undermine oil production and cause severe environmental damage across the Niger Delta.
