The Nigerian Navy has disclosed that it operatives under the ongoing Operation DELTA SANITY II foiled the attempted theft of over 129,300 litres of stolen crude in the Southsouth and Southwest regions of the country in the month of February.
The NN’s Director of Information, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, who made the disclosure on Monday, attributed the operational successes to the Service’s unwavering commitment to safeguard Nigeria’s maritime domain and eradicate Crude Oil Theft (COT).
In Akwa Ibom, Southsouth Nigeria, operatives intercepted a wooden boat with 4,750 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) being smuggled to the Republic of Cameroon was seized around Effiat creek, while in Egbuhu creek, a wooden boat laden with 3,500 litres of PMS in drums, also being smuggled to the Republic of Cameroon, was seized.
In Rivers state, a fibre boat laden with about 1,000 litres of stolen crude oil was seized around Buguma and Tuma general area on Sunday, 9 February, and two days later in the same area, operatives seized a fibre boat laden with about 1,300 litres of stolen crude oil. Also, a large wooden boat laden with about 5,000 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude oil was seized around Opotumbi general area of the state.
Still in Rivers state, operatives discovered and seized an Illegal Refinery Site with 5 cooking tanks, 4 metal storage tanks, 6 reservoirs and 15 dug out pits containing about 1,500 litres of stolen crude oil and about 1,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) around Isaka, Ogajama general area.
On Monday 17 February 2025, two suspected vandals with 2 saws used in cutting the flowline and one wooden boat were arrested along Well 17T Flowline in Rivers state, while several Illegal Refinery Sites with about 70 ovens, 40 reservoirs, 50 dug out pits, about 50,000 litres of stolen crude oil and about 5,000 litres of illegally refined AGO were deactivated and seized around Egbema West in the state.
In Bayelsa state, troops sustaining the onslaught discovered and deactivated
an Illegal Refinery Site, 3 refining ovens, 3 receiving units, 2 wooden boats and one dug out pit collectively laden with over 30,000 litres of stolen crude oil, around Clough Creek in Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state.
On Saturday 15 February 2025, two Illegal Refinery Sites with
about 1000 litres of illegally refined AGO and 4,000 litres of stolen crude oil were
deactivated and seized at Otugbene area Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, also in Bayelsa State.
Furthermore, one Illegal Refinery Site, 3 refining ovens, 3 receiving units, and 3 dug out pits collectively laden with over 12,000 litres of stolen crude oil were deactivated and seized around Clough creek in Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state.
In Delta state, also in Nigeria’s Southsouth region, four active Illegal Refinery Sites with 4 ovens, 10 dug out pits, one storage tank, 13 sacks of stolen crude oil, 2 drums loaded with stolen crude oil and 47 polythene sacks containing illegally refined AGO were seized around Obodo Omadino in Warri, South-West Local Government Area.
According to Adams-Aliu, cumulatively, the total quantities were about 2,500 litres of stolen crude oil
and 2,700 litres of illegally refined AGO.
In the Southwest region, troops intercepted and siezed a wooden boat conveying 1,400 litres of illegally refined AGO in 44 jerry cans around Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, while three fibre boats loaded with illegally refined AGO in 137 jerry cans was seized along Ugbonla water site in Ilaje Local Government Area also in Ondo state.
Similarly, two Illegal Refinery Sites holding about 22,000 litres of stolen crude oil were discovered and seized in a…
