Written by
Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its war against crude oil theft, recording major breakthroughs in a sweeping multi-domain offensive across the Niger Delta.
Under Operation Delta Sentinel, naval forces say they have disrupted large-scale illegal refining activities worth billions of naira in Rivers State.
At the centre of the operation is Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Pathfinder, which led intelligence-driven raids on criminal networks operating in the Ndoni and Egbema axis.
In Umoku, Ndoni, naval patrol teams uncovered a massive illegal refining site, complete with dugout pits and locally fabricated ovens used to process stolen crude.
According to a statement by the Nigerian Navy , the site contained an estimated 708,000 litres of illegally refined petroleum products, including diesel and kerosene, valued at over one billion naira. In addition, about 310,000 litres of stolen crude oil—worth nearly 300 million naira—was also discovered.
The suspects, however, fled on sighting the naval team.
In a separate operation, the Forward Operating Base in Bonny, supported by naval air assets, uncovered and dismantled multiple illegal storage sites in the Allison Community.
There, about 231,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil valued at over 200 million naira was recovered from hidden pits connected to nearby waterways.
The Navy says these latest operations build on earlier successes recorded between January and March this year, when over 457,000 litres of stolen crude and refined products were seized, worth more than 600 million naira.
At sea, the crackdown has also yielded results, with three vessels MT MKPODU, MT WESTAF, and MT STELIOS K intercepted carrying over one million litres of suspected stolen crude oil, estimated at nearly one billion naira.
Naval authorities say the combined land and maritime operations are part of a deliberate strategy to dismantle the entire crude oil theft network and protect Nigeria’s critical oil infrastructure.
Following the success of the operation, the Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Idi Abbas has approved a 90-day extension to sustain the momentum and intensify pressure on oil thieves.
The Nigerian Navy says it remains committed to safeguarding the nation’s economic lifeline and ensuring that those behind oil theft are driven out of business.