In a hide-and-seek effort that is yet to tackle the menace, the Nigerian Navy says its Special Forces deactivated no fewer than 70 illegal refinery sites and confiscated over 400,000 litres of stolen crude oil.
The Navy said the exercise took place 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
