The Nigerian Navy has found 31 dugout pits that hold 62,050 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined diesel at two suspected illegal refining sites in Rivers State.
The sites were found recently in the Ogbogolo community, Ahoada West Local Government Area, during a crude oil theft operation carried out by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH under Operation DELTA SENTINEL.
A report released in Abuja by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said the pits held 58,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and 4,050 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), which is normally called diesel.
The Navy team also collected six sacks and one keg that held amounts of suspected illegally refined diesel.
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Folorunsho said the facilities were inside the Orashi Forest and the larger Ogbogolo area. Navy added that the sites and recovered materials were dealt with following established regulations.
However, no arrests were made during the operation because the suspected operators ran away when they saw the Navy team.
The Navy said the operation was part of efforts under Operation DELTA SENTINEL to stop crude oil theft and illegal refining throughout the Niger Delta.
According to Folorunsho, the operation aims to keep suspected oil thieves from accessing facilities that store and process petroleum products while protecting Nigeria’s oil resources and economic interests.
The Navy repeated its commitment to tackling refining activities and strengthening operations against crude oil theft in the region
