By Micheal Chuks, Abuja

The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, successfully dismantling ten illegal refining sites in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The operations were carried out in July 2025 by personnel of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Escravos and were part of the ongoing Operation DELTA SANITY II. The Commanding Officer of FOB Escravos, Navy Captain Ikenna Okoloagu, disclosed this in a statement issued in Warri on Thursday. He said the illegal refining sites were uncovered and deactivated at Obodo Omadino Community following a series of coordinated operations guided by credible intelligence.

According to Captain Okoloagu, the operations are in line with the Strategic Directives of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, which call for sustained pressure on economic saboteurs operating in the region.

He revealed that on July 1, operatives acting on actionable intelligence dismantled three illegal refining sites at Obodo Omadino. The sites contained 7,200 litres of stolen crude oil and 1,575 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), which were stored across one locally fabricated oven, 30 dugout pits, and 21 polythene sacks.

Subsequently, on July 12, another illegal refining site was dismantled at Oteghele, also within Obodo Omadino, where 2,300 litres of stolen crude oil stored in five dugout pits were recovered. In a follow-up operation on July 19, naval operatives uncovered and dismantled yet another illegal site at Oteghele, where a pumping machine was also discovered.

Maintaining the momentum, on July 23, two more active refining sites were deactivated at Obodo Omadino, yielding 2,300 litres of stolen crude oil and 2,675 litres of illegally refined AGO. Continuing the operation, naval personnel uncovered and dismantled two additional sites on Sunday, along with another active refining site in the same community.

Captain Okoloagu stated that, in total, the Base deactivated ten illegal refining sites and seized approximately 20,950 litres of stolen crude oil and 6,395 litres of illegally refined AGO. These products were discovered in two locally fabricated ovens, 92 dugout pits, and 60 polythene sacks.

Reaffirming the Navy’s commitment to eradicating illegal refining infrastructure, Okoloagu warned perpetrators to desist from such activities or be prepared to face the full wrath of the law. He added that the Nigerian Navy remains resolute in its mandate to safeguard the nation’s oil and gas assets from economic saboteurs.