By Nkechi Eze
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has intensified its air operations in the Niger Delta, a campaign officials say is directly bolstering Nigeria’s oil production while curbing sabotage, theft, and illegal refining. The operations are being executed by the Air Component of Operation DELTA SAFE (AC OPDS) under the 115 Special Operations Group, Port Harcourt.
In a statement signed by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the renewed push follows a directive from the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, urging all air components to step up operational tempo across the country’s theatres.
The update was provided on Friday, September 19, 2025, during a briefing by the Commander, AC OPDS, Group Captain Abdulafeez Opaleye, who underscored the decisive role of air power in safeguarding Nigeria’s energy infrastructure. He explained that sustained helicopter sorties across the Niger Delta have increasingly denied saboteurs access to vital pipelines, illegal refineries, and logistics hubs. According to him, the deterrent effect of these operations, reinforced by hard data from the energy sector, is contributing to a measurable rebound in national oil output.
“The NAF’s presence above the mangrove, riverine, and coastal terrain is now a critical defense of Nigeria’s economic lifeline,” Opaleye declared. He noted that between May and August 2025, surveillance and attack platforms under AC OPDS had conducted sustained Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Armed Reconnaissance, and Pipeline Patrol missions across Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states.
These missions, he said, resulted in the discovery and destruction of dozens of illegal refining facilities, the neutralization of militant camps, the destruction of cooking tanks and reservoirs, and the exposure of illicit oil theft networks. “Each mission not only degraded criminal capacity but also reinforced deterrence, making it riskier and less profitable for saboteurs to operate,” he emphasized.
The Commander further linked these operations to an observable rise in oil output. “In July 2025, total oil production averaged 1.71 million barrels per day (mbpd), including condensates, while crude oil alone stood at approximately 1.51 mbpd. This reflects a steady month-on-month rise from earlier in the year, a surge broadly attributed to enhanced security operations, including those led or supported by AC OPDS in the Niger Delta,” he explained.
Offering further operational details, the Chief of Training and Operations (CTOP), Air Vice Marshal Francis Edosa, highlighted mission metrics covering May to July 2025. He disclosed that the Air Component executed 117 missions and 189 sorties, flying a total of 192 hours, and expending ammunition alongside more than 60,000 litres of Jet A-1 aviation fuel. These sorties destroyed 25 cooking tanks, 11 reservoirs, and 3 drums used in illegal refining processes.
“These actions have demonstrated that kinetic and intelligence-driven air operations can deliver both security and economic dividends,” AVM Edosa stated.
Reaffirming its resolve, the Nigerian Air Force pledged to sustain its offensive in the region, consolidating gains in stabilising the Niger Delta, protecting national oil revenue, and ensuring that Nigeria’s skies remain “hostile to sabotage and safe for legitimate production.”
