The Nigerian Navy has sustained its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal petroleum activities in the Niger Delta with the dismantling of a major black-market fuel supply ring in Rivers State.
The operation, conducted on Thursday by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, targeted suspected economic saboteurs operating within the Okrika general area of the state.
According to the Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, the anti-crude oil theft patrol led to the discovery of a warehouse around Okochiri Kingdom in Okrika Local Government Area, where 410 drums containing about 123,000 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) were uncovered.
Folorunsho explained that preliminary investigations revealed that the products were likely transported from illegal refining camps outside the community and stockpiled in the facility for onward distribution through illicit petroleum supply networks.
He noted that the discovery further exposed the evolving tactics of oil thieves and illegal petroleum operators, who now rely on concealed storage and distribution systems to evade security surveillance and sustain black-market fuel trade across the Niger Delta region.
“The operation forms part of ongoing efforts under Operation DELTA SENTINEL aimed at dismantling the logistics and supply chain sustaining crude oil theft, illegal refining and illicit petroleum distribution,” he stated.
The Navy added that the products were handled in accordance with established anti-crude oil theft procedures, while surveillance and follow-up operations in the area remain ongoing.
Reaffirming its commitment to protecting critical national assets, the Nigerian Navy said it would continue to intensify intelligence-driven operations to deny economic saboteurs operational space within Nigeria’s maritime and littoral domains.
