The Nigerian Navy has seized 17,500 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and destroyed an illegal refinery in the Niger Delta as part of efforts to curb oil theft in the region.
The Director of Information of the Nigerian Navy, Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.
According to him, the operation was carried out by naval personnel under Operation Delta Sentinel following directives from the Chief of Naval Staff, Idi Abbas, to intensify operations against crude oil theft and illegal bunkering.
He said the operation was conducted within the Forward Operating Base (FOB), Bonny Area of Operations in Rivers State, after naval operatives tracked the activities of suspected oil thieves for several weeks.
The naval team uncovered concealed dugout pits hidden beneath thick vegetation in creeks around the Opotumbi general area using the Navy’s maritime surveillance technology, the statement noted.
Folorunsho added that the recovered products were destroyed in line with operational guidelines.
He noted that the seizure demonstrated the Navy’s renewed commitment to combating crude oil theft and other maritime crimes in the Niger Delta.