The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal refining activities in the Niger Delta, dismantling an illegal refinery site in Rivers State and recovering about 350 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), commonly known as diesel.
The operation was carried out by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH, who acted on credible intelligence indicating that illegal refining activities had resumed in the Okolomade area of Abua/Odual Local Government Area.
According to the Navy, the suspected operators abandoned the site and fled on sighting the naval patrol team. During the operation, the personnel recovered approximately 350 litres of illegally refined AGO as well as two wheelbarrows believed to have been used for transporting the products.
The naval team also revisited a previously dismantled illegal refining camp in Ogbogolo, where they discovered that parts of the refining infrastructure were still intact despite an earlier operation.
To prevent the facility from being reactivated, the operatives destroyed the remaining metallic ovens, storage tanks and other refining equipment, rendering the site permanently inoperable.
The Navy said the follow-up action was necessary to ensure that criminal elements could no longer return to the location and resume illegal refining operations using existing infrastructure.
The development highlights the persistent challenge of illegal refining in the Niger Delta, where dismantled facilities are often rebuilt and put back into operation if critical equipment is left behind.
Illegal refining and crude oil theft remain major threats to Nigeria’s economy, leading to significant revenue losses while causing severe environmental pollution that affects surrounding communities, farmlands and waterways.
The Nigerian Navy reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining operations against oil theft and illegal refining, stressing that the latest operation was aimed not only at recovering illicit petroleum products but also at permanently denying criminals the opportunity to revive dismantled refining sites.
