The Nigerian Navy has discovered and deactivated four illegal refining sites in Awokiri Community, Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State, recovering about 87,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil.
The operation was carried out by the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny following intelligence that new illegal refining sites had been activated in the area.
According to a situation report from the base, a 12-man anti-crude oil theft team was deployed to Awokiri, where a drone was first used to conduct aerial surveillance.
The surveillance identified several suspected illegal refining locations, including dugout pits, storage tanks, and hoses connecting the facilities to the riverbank.
A subsequent ground operation uncovered 19 dugout pits across four newly activated refining sites. Ten of the pits contained an estimated 84,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil, while six contained water and three were freshly excavated.
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The naval team also found two general-purpose tanks. One contained about 3,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil, while the other was empty.
Several four-inch hoses linking the pits to the riverbank were also discovered, suggesting the facilities were being used to move crude oil between the waterways and the illegal refining sites.
The Navy said the crude oil, pits, hoses and other materials were documented and handled according to operational procedures.
The operation adds to recent efforts by FOB Bonny to disrupt crude oil theft and illegal refining in Rivers. In July, the base reported recovering about 104,000 litres of suspected stolen crude from nine illegal refining sites in Bonny
