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Navy

The Nigerian Navy has uncovered and dismantled nine illegal refining sites in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, recovering about 104,000 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude oil in a renewed crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal refining in the Niger Delta.

The operation was carried out by personnel of the Forward Operating Base (FOB), Bonny, under Operation DELTA SENTINEL following actionable intelligence on the activities of suspected oil thieves in the area.

In a statement posted on its official X account on Thursday, the Navy said the operation targeted illegal refining camps concealed within the Wakama/Bolo and Aworkiri communities, where criminal elements were allegedly processing stolen crude oil.

According to the statement, naval personnel discovered 23 dugout pits spread across the nine illegal refining locations during the operation. Eighteen of the pits contained an estimated 104,000 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude oil.

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The Navy further disclosed that five newly excavated pits, which had been prepared for illegal refining operations, were destroyed before they could become operational, thereby preventing further environmental degradation and economic sabotage.

In addition to the recovered products, operatives seized eight locally fabricated refining pots and three large storage tanks believed to have been used in processing and storing illegally refined petroleum products.

The Navy said the operation dealt a significant blow to the activities of the suspected oil theft syndicate operating within the affected communities and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure.

It noted that illegal refining not only deprives the country of valuable crude oil revenues but also causes severe environmental damage through oil spills, soot emissions and the destruction of aquatic ecosystems.

The latest operation forms part of ongoing efforts under Operation DELTA SENTINEL to curb crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other economic crimes in the Niger Delta, where security agencies have intensified surveillance of creeks and waterways.

The Nigerian Navy has sustained a series of intelligence-led operations across the region in recent months, leading to the destruction of several illegal refining camps and the arrest of suspected operators involved in illicit petroleum activities.

The service urged residents of oil-producing communities to continue providing credible information that would assist security agencies in identifying and dismantling criminal networks involved in oil theft.

It also warned individuals engaged in illegal refining and other forms of economic sabotage to abandon such activities or face the full weight of the law, stressing that operations to secure the nation’s critical oil assets would continue unabated.