The Nigerian Navy has thwarted an attempt by suspected crude oil thieves to revive a major illegal refining network in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, recovering large volumes of petroleum products during a coordinated operation.
The operation, carried out under Operation DELTA SENTINEL by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER, targeted illegal refining activities around Egbema following credible intelligence reports.
Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed in a statement on Friday that naval operatives discovered that criminal elements had resumed operations at sites previously dismantled during earlier anti-crude oil theft raids.
According to the statement, further exploitation of the area led to the discovery of three reactivated illegal refining sites linked to an extensive network of 13 dugout pits.
Naval personnel reportedly uncovered about 260,000 litres of substances suspected to be crude oil and approximately 405,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), commonly known as diesel.
The Navy said preliminary investigations showed that the syndicates were exploiting crude oil siphoned from an abandoned wellhead in the area, highlighting the adaptability of criminal networks in using dormant infrastructure for illegal activities.
The statement noted that the operation was not only significant because of the quantity of petroleum products recovered, but also because it disrupted ongoing attempts by oil theft syndicates to regenerate illegal refining infrastructure in the Niger Delta.
It added that intelligence reports indicated that criminal groups had repeatedly attempted to return to the same locations despite previous enforcement actions, making sustained surveillance and rapid interdiction operations critical.
The illegal refining sites, dugout pits and associated products were subsequently handled in line with established anti-crude oil theft procedures.
The Nigerian Navy reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining intelligence-led operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL to dismantle criminal networks, protect critical national assets and safeguard the nation’s economic interests.
