Operation DELTA SENTINEL has recorded another significant success in the fight against crude oil theft and illegal refining with the recovery of about 87,000 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) during an intelligence-led operation in Rivers State.
According to an official statement signed by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH uncovered a concealed fuel storage facility in the Okarki axis of Rivers State while conducting an anti-crude oil theft operation based on credible intelligence.
The statement said the hidden facility was being used for the illegal stockpiling of petroleum products and contained approximately 87,000 litres of products suspected to be illegally refined AGO, alongside equipment used for the unlawful storage and handling of petroleum products.
It added that the recovered products and associated items were handled in accordance with extant operational procedures.
The Navy noted that the discovery highlights the continued efforts of criminal syndicates to establish concealed storage and distribution facilities across the Niger Delta to sustain illegal refining and crude oil theft activities.
It stressed that dismantling such facilities remains central to Operation DELTA SENTINEL’s strategy of disrupting the logistics networks that sustain economic sabotage, while protecting critical oil and gas infrastructure.
The Nigerian Navy reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations aimed at denying economic saboteurs the freedom to operate, safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime environment and supporting the Federal Government’s drive to boost crude oil production and economic growth.
