(Suspected Illegal Petrol. Photo Credit: Arise News)
The Nigerian Navy has uncovered 63,290 litres of suspected illegally refined petroleum products and intercepted a vehicle allegedly linked to an illicit fuel distribution network in Rivers State, in a fresh breakthrough in its ongoing campaign against oil theft.
The operation, carried out under Operation Delta Sentinel, was triggered by actionable intelligence on the movement and storage of suspected illegally refined products within the Orashi Forest corridor in Abua-Odual Local Government Area.
Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed in a statement that personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship NNS SOROH were deployed to the Okolomade Community axis following credible intelligence on the activities of suspected illegal petroleum operators in the area.
He said the naval team intercepted a silver Toyota Camry suspected to have been used to ferry illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil, with a search of the vehicle yielding 17 sacks of the suspected product.
Personnel subsequently expanded the operation into the surrounding area, uncovering additional stockpiles concealed beneath dense vegetation at multiple locations within the forest corridor, including 56 more sacks of suspected illegally refined AGO hidden across different points.
In total, the operation resulted in the recovery of 73 sacks containing an estimated 63,290 litres of suspected illegally refined AGO, along with the vehicle believed to have been used for transportation.
The Navy said the discovery highlighted the increasing use of forest corridors and concealed storage sites by criminal networks seeking to move illegally refined petroleum products from remote areas into mainstream distribution channels, and that the operation had effectively disrupted a critical segment of the illicit supply chain.
Captain Folorunsho stated that the recovered products were handled in accordance with extant regulations, while the vehicle was secured for further necessary action.
The Nigerian Navy reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations under Operation Delta Sentinel, with the aim of dismantling criminal networks and protecting the country’s critical economic resources from exploitation.