The Nigerian Navy has recorded another significant breakthrough in its ongoing crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal refining activities, recovering 63,290 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and a vehicle linked to an illicit fuel distribution network in Rivers State.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, the operation was conducted by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH under the auspices of Operation DELTA SENTINEL.
Folorunsho disclosed that the operation followed credible intelligence on the movement and storage of suspected illegally refined petroleum products within the Orashi Forest corridor in the Okolomade Community area of Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Acting on the intelligence, naval personnel deployed to the area and intercepted a silver Toyota Camry suspected to be transporting illegally refined AGO. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 17 sacks containing the suspected product.
The naval team subsequently intensified its search of the surrounding forest and uncovered additional hidden stockpiles concealed beneath dense vegetation at multiple locations.
Further exploitation of the area resulted in the recovery of 56 more sacks of suspected illegally refined AGO strategically hidden across the forest corridor.
In total, the operation led to the recovery of 73 sacks containing approximately 63,290 litres of suspected illegally refined AGO, alongside the Toyota Camry believed to have been used in transporting the products.
The Navy noted that the discovery underscores the growing use of remote forest routes and concealed storage facilities by criminal networks involved in the illegal petroleum trade to move products from refining camps into distribution channels.
The successful operation disrupted a key segment of the illicit petroleum supply chain and further demonstrates the effectiveness of intelligence-led operations in combating economic sabotage in the Niger Delta region.
Captain Folorunsho stated that the recovered products were handled in accordance with extant regulations, while the vehicle has been secured for further investigation and necessary action.
He reaffirmed the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to sustaining aggressive and intelligence-driven operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL to deny economic saboteurs freedom of action and safeguard the nation’s critical economic assets.
The latest recovery adds to the series of successes being recorded by the Nigerian Navy in its efforts to curb crude oil theft, illegal refining, and other maritime crimes across the country’s coastal and inland waterways.
