By Nkechi Eze
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on economic saboteurs in the Niger Delta with the dismantling of a major black-market fuel supply ring in Rivers State under Operation DELTA SENTINEL.
According to an official signed statement by Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, the operation was carried out earlier on Thursday by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship PATHFINDER during anti-crude oil theft patrols within the Okrika general area.
The statement disclosed that the operation led to the discovery of a warehouse around Okochiri Kingdom in Okrika Local Government Area, believed to be a major storage hub for the distribution of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
Naval operatives reportedly uncovered 410 drums loaded with about 123,000 litres of suspected illegally refined AGO concealed within the facility.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the products were transported from illegal refining sites outside the community and stockpiled for onward distribution through illicit fuel supply networks operating across the region.
The Navy said the development underscores an emerging trend in which operators of illegal petroleum businesses are shifting from conventional refining camps to covert storage and distribution systems aimed at evading ongoing anti-crude oil theft operations.
The products recovered during the operation were handled in accordance with established anti-crude oil theft procedures, while surveillance and follow-on operations in the area are continuing.
The Nigerian Navy further stated that ongoing operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL are targeted at dismantling the wider logistics and supply chains sustaining crude oil theft, illegal refining, and illicit petroleum distribution in the Niger Delta.
The service reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations to protect critical national assets and deny economic saboteurs freedom of operation within Nigeria’s maritime environment, in line with the strategic vision of the Chief of the Naval Staff.
