The Nigerian Navy has foiled an attempt to reactivate an illegal refining site in Rivers State, recovering about 350 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) during a targeted operation in the Okolomade general area of Abua/Odual Local Government Area.
The operation was conducted on September 6, 2026, by personnel of NNS SOROH following credible intelligence indicating that illegal refining activities were being revived in the area.
Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday.
According to the Navy, suspected operators fled the area upon sighting the naval team, abandoning the illegally refined petroleum product and two wheelbarrows believed to have been used to transport it.
In a related operation, naval personnel also revisited a previously disrupted illegal refining site in the Ogbogolo area, where they rendered remaining metallic ovens, storage tanks and other associated infrastructure unusable.
The Navy said the action was aimed at preventing criminal operators from rebuilding and restarting activities at the site.
It added that the latest interventions reflect a shift from simply disrupting illegal refining operations to destroying the infrastructure that enables their repeated revival, thereby weakening the resilience of illicit petroleum networks in the area.
