By Chimezie Godfrey
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal refining activities in the Niger Delta with the dismantling of a reactivated illegal refining cluster located within the Rivers–Bayelsa border corridor.
The operation, conducted under Operation DELTA SENTINEL by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH, followed credible intelligence reports indicating renewed illegal refining activities around Egboama/Ogbogolo Community in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
According to the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain AA Folorunsho, the operation involved a coordinated land and water insertion supported by aerial surveillance to identify and dismantle concealed refining infrastructure hidden within the creek environment.
Folorunsho explained that drone reconnaissance carried out over the area exposed multiple illegal refining sites strategically concealed within difficult terrain, underscoring the increasingly sophisticated tactics employed by economic saboteurs operating in the region.
“Subsequent exploitation of the sites led to the discovery of refining ovens, a dugout pit, storage facilities, and equipment associated with the processing and movement of illegally refined petroleum products,” he stated.
The Navy disclosed that personnel uncovered about 5,500 litres of substances suspected to be crude oil and another 3,000 litres suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
Additional items recovered during the operation included generators, welding equipment, and several materials believed to support the reactivation and expansion of the illegal refining camps.
The anti-crude oil theft operation also exposed what the Navy described as deliberate efforts by criminal networks to rebuild refining infrastructure previously dismantled during earlier military offensives within the corridor.
“All identified sites and equipment were subsequently deactivated and handled in accordance with operational procedures, while surveillance and follow-on monitoring of adjoining creek corridors remain ongoing,” Folorunsho added.
The Nigerian Navy noted that ongoing operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL are now strategically focused not only on dismantling active illegal refining camps, but also on preventing the regeneration of criminal infrastructure used to sustain crude oil theft activities across the Niger Delta region.
The Service reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations aimed at protecting critical national assets, safeguarding the maritime environment, and denying economic saboteurs operational freedom within Nigeria’s maritime domain.
Security analysts have continued to identify illegal refining and crude oil theft as major threats to Nigeria’s economy, environmental sustainability, and energy security, particularly within the oil-rich Niger Delta.
The latest operation adds to a growing list of recent military offensives targeting oil theft syndicates, illegal refining camps, and associated logistics networks operating across the region.
Navy Dismantles Reactivated Illegal Refining Cluster Along Rivers-Bayelsa Corridor
