Friday, August 8, 2025 - The Nigerian Navy says its its Special Forces deactivated no fewer than 70 illegal refinery sites and confiscated over 400,000 litres of stolen crude oil across the Niger Delta in July 2025 alone.
This is contained in a monthly operational update issued on Friday by Commodore
Ayiwuyor Adams-Aliu, the Director of Naval Information, in Abuja.
Adams-Aliu said the intensified operations under the ongoing
Operation Delta Sanity, were part of its effort to curb crude oil theft and
other forms of economic sabotage within Nigeria’s maritime domain.
According to him, the crackdown led to the discovery and
destruction of 120 dugout pits, illegal storage facilities, and various
equipment used in crude oil theft and illegal refining across Rivers, Delta,
Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States.
He said the Navy denied oil thieves access to about 411,400
litres of crude oil, 87,825 litres of illegally-refined Automotive Gas Oil
(AGO), 72,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), and 21,900 litres of
Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
Providing key highlights of the operation, Naval spokesman
said the troops had in July 4, discovered and deactivated illegal refining
sites with over 66,000 litres of suspected crude and 40,000 litres of refined
AGO at Ogba, Egbema, and Ndoni in Rivers.
He added that the operations conducted on July 14 led to
multiple arrests and seizures in Akwa Ibom and Delta States, involving
smuggling attempts to Cameroon and the uncovering of underground reservoirs
containing thousands of litres of stolen crude oil.
According to him, two large-scale illegal operations were
dismantled on July 22 and 23, in Biseni Community, Bayelsa, with over 450,000
litres of crude oil recovered.
Adams-Aliu noted that its personnel also intercepted several
wooden boats used for smuggling PMS and other petroleum products, and arrested
six suspected smugglers.
He reaffirmed the navy’s resolve under the leadership of the
Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, to stamp out oil
theft and boost national oil production.
According to him, navy’s operations have contributed to the
recent milestone announced by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory
Commission (NUPRC), confirming that Nigeria’s oil production has now exceeded
1.8 million barrels per day.
“The Nigerian Navy remains resolute in its mission to ensure
maritime safety, deter illicit activities, and uphold national security within
the nation’s maritime domain,” he said.
NAN reports that in a recent report released by the Nigerian
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Nigeria lost a whopping
619.7 million barrels of oil valued at N16.25 trillion to theft between 2009
and 2020.
NEITI, however highlighted a reduction from 36.69 million
barrels lost in 2022 to 7.68 million barrels in 2023.
This decrease, it said, is attributed to improved resource
management and enhanced security measures.
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