The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft in the Niger Delta with the discovery and dismantling of multiple illegal crude oil staging sites concealed within creek networks in Delta State.
The operation, conducted under Operation DELTA SENTINEL by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship DELTA, targeted suspected transit and storage points used by oil thieves operating within Madangho Creek and the Ogbe-Ijaw axis.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, the operation followed credible intelligence supported by maritime patrol assets and aerial surveillance.
During the coordinated raids, naval personnel uncovered three reservoirs, a hose line, sixteen sacks, and several cellophane bags allegedly used for storing and transporting stolen crude oil. About 6,500 litres of substances suspected to be crude oil were also recovered from the sites.
The Navy said the discoveries exposed a coordinated logistics network established by criminal elements to aggregate and move stolen crude oil through remote creek channels while avoiding security detection.
Recovered materials and products were subsequently handled in line with operational procedures, effectively denying oil thieves access to resources used to sustain illegal activities.
The statement noted that the latest operation highlights the Nigerian Navy’s sustained efforts to dismantle the logistics, storage, and transportation networks supporting crude oil theft and illegal refining activities across the Niger Delta.
It added that by targeting staging locations and supply nodes, Operation DELTA SENTINEL continue to weaken the operational capacity of economic saboteurs and restrict their activities within the region.
The Navy reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining pressure on criminal networks through intelligence-driven operations, continuous surveillance, and coordinated maritime security efforts aimed at safeguarding Nigeria’s critical energy infrastructure and economic assets.
