The Nigerian Navy has discovered and dismantled an illegal refinery along the Isaka/Ogoloma River in Rivers State with capacity to produce over two million litres of automotive gasoline oil (AGO) daily.

The operation which was executed by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, involved the destruction of more than 500 crude oil cooking drums using a swamp buggy, following the directive of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, to eradicate oil theft and illegal refining activities in the Niger Delta.

The illegal refinery, which had a pipeline connected to a nearby oil wellhead operated by Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, was used by suspected oil thieves to siphon crude oil for refining.

The site was uncovered after extensive intelligence and surveillance efforts by the Navy.

Commander of NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Cajethan Nnabuchi Aniaku, said that the oil thieves employed a new tactic by using drums to refine stolen crude oil into AGO and other by-products.

This method, according to him, provided an advantage due to the drums’ ease of construction and dismantling.

He said that the ongoing operation has so far destroyed over 500 drums, as well as numerous dug-out pits and ovens, all capable of producing over 2 million liters of illegally refined petroleum products daily.

Commodore Aniaku issued a stern warning to those involved in illegal refining activities, emphasizing that the Navy remains committed to protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure.