The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal refining activities in the Niger Delta, uncovering and dismantling a reactivated illegal fuel network in Ndoni area of Rivers State.
The operation was carried out by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, targeting facilities believed to have resumed operations after previous enforcement actions in the area.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, naval operatives discovered a network of dugout pits and storage sites containing large quantities of products suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
Preliminary assessment showed that about 184,000 litres of suspected illegally refined petroleum products were stored across the refining cluster.
The Navy said findings from the operation revealed that criminal elements continued to exploit abandoned oil infrastructure to sustain illegal refining and distribution activities within the region.
The statement noted that the discovery underscored the evolving tactics of oil theft syndicates, which now rely on interconnected supply, storage and distribution systems designed to evade security operations and quickly resume activities after previous crackdowns.
It added that ongoing operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL were focused on dismantling the support structures sustaining economic sabotage and denying criminal networks the operational space needed to continue illicit activities.
“The illegal refining sites and recovered products were subsequently neutralised in accordance with operational procedures, while surveillance and follow-on operations within the general area remain ongoing,” the statement said.
The Nigerian Navy reaffirmed its commitment to protecting critical national assets and sustaining coordinated operations aimed at securing Nigeria’s maritime and littoral environment from economic saboteurs.
