The Nigerian Navy has disrupted an illegal fuel network operating through the creeks of Rivers State, recovering approximately 22,870 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) during an intelligence-led operation under Operation Delta Sentinel. The successful operation targeted crude oil theft and illegal refining activities in the Niger Delta, dealing another setback to criminal syndicates involved in the illicit petroleum trade.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Director of Information, Nigerian Navy, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH carried out the operation after receiving credible intelligence on the movement of illegally refined petroleum products through waterways connecting Rivers and Bayelsa states.
According to him, the naval team deployed to the Orashi Forest area of Okolomade Community in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State, bordering Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, following reports of suspected transportation of illegally refined products.
Upon arrival, the patrol team intercepted a wooden boat carrying 36 sacks of suspected illegally refined diesel along an adjoining creek. To expand the operation, the Navy deployed aerial surveillance using a drone, leading to the discovery of additional fuel stockpiles concealed beneath vegetation and inside ponds within the forest.
Folorunsho disclosed that security personnel recovered another 45 sacks of suspected illegally refined AGO during the search, bringing the total recovery to 81 sacks containing an estimated 22,870 litres. The illegal fuel network was further disrupted with the seizure of the wooden boat allegedly used to transport the products.
The Navy spokesman said all recovered products and the intercepted boat were handled in accordance with established anti-crude oil theft procedures.
He reaffirmed the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations under Operation Delta Sentinel to dismantle criminal networks involved in crude oil theft and illegal refining. According to Folorunsho, the Navy will continue to deny criminal elements freedom of operation across Nigeria’s waterways while protecting the country’s critical economic infrastructure.
He added that the service remains focused on strengthening maritime security through intelligence-based operations aimed at eliminating illegal activities within the nation’s coastal and inland waterways. The latest operation underscores the Navy’s ongoing efforts to combat crude oil theft and dismantle the illegal fuel network responsible for the movement of illegally refined petroleum products across the Niger Delta region.
