By Samuel Ike. Abuja

The Nigerian Navy has foiled an attempt to reactivate an illegal refining site in Rivers State, recovering approximately 350 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) during an operation in the Okolomade general area of Abua/Odual Local Government Area.

The operation, conducted by the Nigerian Navy ship NNS SOROH on 6 September 2026, followed credible intelligence indicating efforts to revive illegal refining activities in the area.

According to the Navy, suspected operators fled upon sighting the naval team, abandoning the illegally refined petroleum product and two wheelbarrows believed to have been used to transport it.

In a related operation, the Base revisited a previously disrupted illegal refining site in the Ogbogolo area, where personnel rendered the remaining metallic ovens, storage tanks and other associated infrastructure unusable.

The action effectively closed avenues for criminal operators to revive activities at the site and further exploit the facilities for illegal petroleum refining.

The latest interventions underscore the Navy’s evolving approach to combating illegal refining, moving beyond temporary disruption to the deliberate destruction of infrastructure that enables operators to repeatedly re-establish their activities.

The strategy is aimed at weakening the resilience of illicit petroleum networks and limiting their ability to regenerate operations across the region.