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 across the Niger Delta in July 2025.
This was disclosed in a monthly operational update on Friday by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Ayiwuyor Adams-Aliu, in Abuja.
Adams-Aliu explained that the intensified actions under the ongoing Operation Delta Sanity were part of efforts to curb crude oil theft and other forms of economic sabotage within Nigeria’s maritime domain.
The operations, he said, resulted in the discovery and destruction of 120 dugout pits, illegal storage facilities, and various equipment used in crude oil theft and refining in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States.
He revealed that 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).”
Highlighting key successes, Adams-Aliu noted that on July 4, personnel discovered and dismantled illegal refining sites containing over 66,000 litres of suspected crude and 40,000 litres of refined AGO in Ogba, Egbema, and Ndoni, Rivers State.
He added that operations on July 14 led to multiple arrests and seizures in Akwa Ibom and Delta States, including smuggling attempts to Cameroon and the uncovering of underground reservoirs holding thousands of litres of stolen crude oil.
Furthermore, he said, 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 disclosed that several wooden boats used for smuggling PMS and other petroleum products were intercepted, and six suspected smugglers arrested.
He reaffirmed the Navy’s determination under the leadership of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, “to stamp out oil theft and boost national oil production.”
According to him, the Navy’s efforts have contributed to a milestone recently announced by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, confirming that Nigeria’s oil production has 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 stated.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that in its latest publication, the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) revealed that Nigeria lost 619.7 million barrels of oil valued at N16.25 trillion to theft between 2009 and 2020.
NEITI further noted a decline from 36.69 million barrels lost in 2022 to 7.68 million barrels in 2023, attributing the drop to improved resource management and enhanced security measures.
