Navy dismantles 48 illegal refineries, arrests 91 suspects in anti-oil theft crackdown
…Recovers 4.69 Million Litres of Stolen Crude, Refined Products as Nigeria Exceeds OPEC Production Quota
By Kingsley Omonobi
The Nigerian Navy says it dismantled 48 illegal refinery sites, recovered about 4.698 million litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products, and arrested more than 91 suspects involved in crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, militancy and related offences during the second quarter of 2026.
The Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday.
He said the Navy also intercepted several vessels engaged in crude oil theft and dismantled criminal logistics networks supporting economic sabotage across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the operations were carried out under Operation Delta Sentinel, which intensified its activities between April and June 2026 to consolidate gains recorded in the first quarter of the year.
“The renewed operational tempo comes against the backdrop of the recent announcement by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) that Nigeria’s crude oil production reached 1.735 million barrels per day in June 2026, representing 104 per cent of Nigeria’s OPEC production quota and the highest crude oil output recorded since April 2020,” Folorunsho said.
He disclosed that since April 2026, the Navy had conducted more than 580 intelligence-driven operations across Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Cross River and Lagos states.
The operations, he said, resulted in the recovery of over 4.698 million litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products, the arrest of more than 91 suspects, the dismantling of 48 illegal refining sites, the interception of several vessels involved in crude oil theft and the destruction of logistics networks used by criminal syndicates.
Among the major successes recorded, Folorunsho said, were the arrests of the motor tankers MKPODU, WESTAF and STELIOS K, which were allegedly linked to the theft of more than 900 metric tonnes of suspected stolen crude oil.
He added that troops also recovered over 708,000 litres of illegally refined petroleum products and 310,000 litres of stolen crude oil from a single illegal refining site in Ndoni, Rivers State.
The Navy spokesman said several intelligence-led operations also dismantled reactivated illegal refining sites, intercepted illicit fuel consignments and prevented criminal groups from restoring illegal refining operations across the Niger Delta.
According to him, coordinated riverine operations led to the destruction of numerous illegal refining sites, reservoirs, dugout pits, storage facilities, warehouses, concealed fuel dumps, illegal pipeline connections and militant hideouts.
Folorunsho noted that security operatives observed increasing attempts by criminal syndicates to reactivate previously destroyed refining camps, prompting sustained follow-up operations that disrupted their activities and weakened the economic viability of crude oil theft networks.
He said the sustained operational successes coincided with the recent increase in Nigeria’s crude oil production, which exceeded the country’s OPEC production quota.
“This indicates improved security around critical oil and gas infrastructure and reflects the collective efforts of security agencies in combating crude oil theft.
“Persistent naval presence across the Niger Delta waterways has denied economic saboteurs freedom of action, disrupted illicit petroleum supply chains and enhanced the security of critical oil and gas infrastructure,” he said.
Folorunsho reaffirmed the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to protecting the nation’s maritime domain and critical oil assets while supporting the Federal Government’s target of increasing crude oil production to 2.5 million barrels per day by 2027.
He added that the Navy would continue to intensify intelligence-driven operations and strengthen collaboration with other security agencies to dismantle crude oil theft networks within Nigeria’s maritime environment, in line with the vision of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas.