Nigerian Navy intercepts illegal black sand mining and diesel smuggling in the Delta region

The Nigerian Navy seized two wooden boats carrying illegally mined black sand in the coastal waters of Bayelsa State. Thirteen suspects were arrested and the vessels, loaded with bags of sand containing minerals such as ilmenite and zircon, were handed over to police for investigation. The operation, led by officers from the Forward Operating Base FORMOSO, was described as part of the Navy’s effort to protect the country’s natural resources and curb economic sabotage.

In a separate patrol under Operation Delta Sentinel, naval personnel intercepted a large consignment of suspected illegally refined automotive gas oil in Rivers State. The wooden boat was found with about 375 sacks, roughly 103,500 litres of diesel, destined for distribution through creek‑to‑market routes used by criminal networks. The cargo was secured and the vessel detained, highlighting the Navy’s ongoing crackdown on crude‑oil theft and illicit petroleum trade in the Niger Delta.