The Nigerian Navy says its Special Forces have dismantled at least 71 illegal refinery sites and seized more than 400,000 litres of stolen crude oil during intensified operations across the Niger Delta in July 2025.
Director of Naval Information, Commodore Ayiwuyor Adams-Aliu, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, August 7, in Abuja, noting that three suspected smugglers were also arrested in Akwa Ibom State while transporting 10 drums of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in a wooden boat allegedly bound for Cameroon.
The clampdown, carried out under Operation Delta Sanity, targeted crude oil theft and other economic sabotage within Nigeria’s maritime domain. According to Adams-Aliu, the operations led to the destruction of 120 dugout pits, illegal storage facilities, and equipment used for refining stolen crude in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States.
In total, the Navy said it denied oil thieves access to:
- 411,400 litres of crude oil
- 87,825 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO)
- 72,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK)
- 21,900 litres of PMS
Breakdown of Key Operations in July 2025:
- July 4: Six illegal refinery sites with 40 dugout pits and 40 ovens were deactivated around Ogba, Egbema, and Ndoni (Rivers State), containing 66,000 litres of crude oil and 40,000 litres of AGO.
- July 12: One illegal site with 2,300 litres of stolen crude shut down at Otegele, Delta State.
- July 14: Three suspected smugglers arrested in Akwa Ibom with 2,500 litres of PMS intended for Cameroon. The same day, multiple illegal storage points were discovered in Warri South West, Delta State, including 7,000 litres of crude oil. Another boat carrying 2,500 litres of PMS was seized in Akwa Ibom.
- July 16: 9,500 litres of crude oil recovered from an underground reservoir in Peres Community, Warri South West.
- July 19: One site with 4,200 litres of crude deactivated in Obodo Omadino, Delta State.
- July 21: Several dugout pits and a pumping machine linked to 10,000 litres of crude oil seized in Amadino, Warri South West.
- July 22: Two sites in Biseni, Bayelsa, holding 200,000 litres of stolen crude, 2,000 litres of AGO and DPK, dismantled.
- July 23: Follow-up raid in Biseni uncovered 250,000 litres of crude and multiple ovens. Additional sites in Akassa (Bayelsa) and Obodo Omadino (Delta) were also deactivated.
- July 25–28: Operations in Bokodo Community, Obodo Omadino, and Oteghele (Delta State) dismantled more sites and seized thousands of litres of stolen crude and illegally refined products.
Commodore Adams-Aliu said the successes highlight the Navy’s resolve under Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, to eradicate oil theft and boost Nigeria’s crude output.
He noted that the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) recently confirmed Nigeria’s oil production had risen above 1.8 million barrels per day, attributing part of the improvement to military efforts in securing the nation’s maritime domain.
“The Navy remains committed to ensuring maritime safety, deterring illicit activities, and upholding national security within our waters,” Adams-Aliu stated.