Four illegal refining sites have been discovered and dismantled in Rivers State during Operation DELTA SENTINEL.
During the raid, the Nigerian Navy seized about 43,000 liters of suspected illegally refined petroleum products.
This operation aims to stop crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
It was noted that the successful operation was made possible by information received, which prompted Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER personnel to search for and destroy illegal refining camps in the Egbema axis of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA).
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The Nigerian Navy disclosed this via a statement issued on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, on Saturday, adding that 28,000 liters of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and 15,000 liters of suspected Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) were recovered from the sites.
They were hidden in dugout pits, reservoirs, and sacks at the illegal refining sites.
As part of the process, the four illegal refining sites were destroyed, and the seized products were handled in accordance with existing protocol guiding the processing of materials recovered during anti-crude oil theft operations.
According to the Navy, the exercise is part of the ongoing intelligence-led effort under Operation DELTA SENTINEL meant to dismantle criminals engaged in crude oil theft and deny economic saboteurs the freedom of movement while safeguarding Nigeria’s marine and oil assets.
The recent raid follows the discovery by the Navy of an undercover facility used for storing illegally refined fuel in Rivers State, from which over 11,800 liters of suspected illegally refined diesel and 125 bags of the fuel were seized.
In another raid carried out just recently, the Navy also dismantled an undercover storage facility for crude oil in the Bonny Local Government Area, from which over 20,500 liters of suspected stolen crude oil stored in underground pits were confiscated.
The Nigerian Navy has been stepping up activities in the Niger Delta as a measure towards curtailing crude oil theft and illegal refining, among other economic sabotage in the oil-producing region.
