ABUJA — The Nigerian Navy says its Special Forces have deactivated no fewer than 70 illegal refinery sites and seized over 400,000 litres of stolen crude oil across the Niger Delta in July 2025 alone.
This was disclosed in a monthly operational update issued on Friday by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Ayiwuyor Adams-Aliu, in Abuja.
Adams-Aliu said the intensified clampdown, carried out under Operation Delta Sanity, was part of ongoing efforts to combat crude oil theft and other forms of economic sabotage within Nigeria’s maritime domain.
According to him, the July operations led to the destruction of 120 dugout pits, illegal storage facilities, and various equipment used in oil theft and refining across Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States.
In total, the Navy denied criminals access to 411,400 litres of stolen crude oil, 87,825 litres of illegally-refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 72,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), and 21,900 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
Highlighting key raids, Adams-Aliu said that on July 4, troops dismantled illegal refining sites in Ogba, Egbema, and Ndoni (Rivers State), recovering over 66,000 litres of suspected crude oil and 40,000 litres of AGO.
On July 14, multiple arrests were made in Akwa Ibom and Delta States, including the interception of smuggling attempts to Cameroon and the discovery of underground reservoirs containing thousands of litres of stolen crude.
Two major illegal operations in Biseni, Bayelsa State, were shut down on July 22 and 23, with over 450,000 litres of crude oil recovered. The Navy also intercepted several wooden boats used for smuggling petroleum products and arrested six suspects.
Adams-Aliu credited the successes to the leadership of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, noting that the operations have helped push Nigeria’s oil output above 1.8 million barrels per day — a milestone recently confirmed by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
“The Nigerian Navy remains resolute in its mission to ensure maritime safety, deter illicit activities, and uphold national security within the nation’s maritime domain,” he said.
Data from the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) shows Nigeria lost 619.7 million barrels of oil worth N16.25 trillion to theft between 2009 and 2020. Losses have, however, dropped significantly — from 36.69 million barrels in 2022 to 7.68 million barrels in 2023 — due to tighter security and improved resource management.
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