Gift Wada
In an effort to combat oil theft and illegal refining, the Nigerian Navy, under Operation DELTA SANITY, destroyed 23 illegal refinery sites and recovered large volumes of stolen crude oil and illegally refined products in October 2024.
“The Navy’s operations spanned Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, and Ondo States, where officers dismantled refining sites and confiscated tools and equipment used in the illicit trade,” Commodore A. Adams-Aliu, the Navy’s Director of Information, noted in a statement.
seized items include over 70,000 liters of stolen crude oil, 48,300 liters of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), and several wooden boats used to transport the products.
The Director of Information, while stressing on the importance of protecting the country’s oil infrastructure and curbing economic sabotage, noted that the navy’s operation also led to the arrest of a suspect and the interception of vessels used to smuggle stolen oil.
He affirmed that the crackdown contributed to Nigeria’s crude oil production reaching 1.8 million barrels per day in October, as reported by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).