The Nigerian Navy has disrupted attempts to establish illegal refining infrastructure and recovered a large cache of suspected illegally refined petroleum products in separate operations across Rivers State.
This is contained in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho, who said the operations were conducted under Operation Delta Sentinel as part of ongoing efforts to curb crude oil theft and economic sabotage in the Niger Delta.
Personnel of Forward Operating Base Bonny, following credible intelligence, foiled attempts by economic saboteurs to set up illegal refining sites in the Promise Land area of Bonny Local Government Area. An anti-crude oil theft patrol team carried out a coordinated reconnaissance mission across adjoining creeks and waterways, supported by aerial surveillance.
The surveillance exposed concealed refining equipment hidden under thick vegetation, while ground assessment confirmed two newly constructed illegal refining sites close to the river channel. The sites contained improvised cooking installations, interconnected pipe networks, and other support infrastructure intended for processing and transporting illegally refined petroleum products.
The operators were still in the early stages of establishing the camps, indicating plans to create a new refining hub before full-scale operations. The sites were subsequently dismantled, and the area has been placed under continued monitoring.
In a related development, personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship Soroh discovered a concealed fuel stockpile along the Rivers–Bayelsa border corridor following intelligence reports of suspicious movement of petroleum products around the Okarki community waterside in Abua-Odual Local Government Area. Aerial surveillance revealed multiple sacks concealed within dense vegetation, leading to the recovery of about 3,800 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil stored in 38 sacks.
Although no arrests were made as suspects fled the scene, the recovered products were secured. The naval spokesman reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigerian Navy to sustaining intelligence-driven operations aimed at protecting critical national assets and safeguarding the maritime environment from economic sabotage.
