The Nigerian Navy has dismantled an illegal fuel supply network operating through the creeks of Rivers State, recovering approximately 22,870 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) during an intelligence-led operation under Operation Delta Sentinel. The operation targeted crude oil theft and illegal refining activities in the Niger Delta, with security personnel also seizing a wooden boat allegedly used to transport the products.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Director of Information, Nigerian Navy, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said the operation was carried out by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH following credible intelligence on the movement of illegally refined petroleum products between Rivers and Bayelsa states. According to him, the intelligence pointed to an illegal fuel supply route operating through creek channels connecting both states.
Folorunsho said naval personnel deployed to the Orashi Forest area of Okolomade Community in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State, which borders Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, after receiving reports of suspicious movement of illegally refined petroleum products. During the operation, the patrol team intercepted a wooden boat transporting 36 sacks of suspected illegally refined diesel along an adjoining creek.
To expand the operation, the Navy deployed aerial surveillance using a drone. The reconnaissance led to the discovery of additional stockpiles concealed beneath vegetation and inside ponds within the forest. A comprehensive search of the area resulted in the recovery of another 45 sacks of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil, bringing the total seizure to 81 sacks containing about 22,870 litres.
The wooden boat allegedly used in the illegal fuel supply operation was also confiscated, disrupting the transportation network supporting illegal refining activities in the region. Folorunsho stated that the recovered petroleum products and the seized boat were handled in accordance with established anti-crude oil theft procedures.
The latest operation highlights the Nigerian Navy’s continued efforts to combat crude oil theft and illegal refining, activities that have long affected Nigeria’s economy, environmental sustainability and oil production in the Niger Delta. The Navy said intelligence-led operations remain central to its strategy for disrupting criminal networks operating along the nation’s waterways.
Folorunsho reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to sustaining Operation Delta Sentinel through intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling illegal fuel supply networks, denying criminal groups freedom of operation and protecting Nigeria’s strategic economic assets from crude oil theft and related crimes.
