Nigerian Navy Dismantles Illegal Refineries in Rivers, Recovers 43,000 Litres of Petroleum

The Nigerian Navy, under Operation Delta Sentinel, carried out a targeted anti‑crude‑oil‑theft raid in the Egbema axis of Ogba‑Egbema‑Ndoni Local Government Area, Rivers State. Personnel from the Nigerian Navy Ship PATHFINDER uncovered four illegal refining sites and seized approximately 28,000 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) together with 15,000 litres of Dual‑Purpose Kerosene, totalling about 43,000 litres. The illegal refining infrastructure was dismantled and the recovered products were handled according to established anti‑oil‑theft procedures.

The operation follows a series of recent naval interventions in the Niger Delta aimed at disrupting oil‑theft syndicates, protecting Nigeria’s critical oil and gas infrastructure, and curbing economic sabotage in the country’s oil‑dependent economy.