Navy Recovers 4.7 Million Litres of Stolen Oil, Arrests 91 Suspects in Q2 Operations

The Nigerian Navy has sustained major operational successes under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, recovering more than 4.698 million litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products in the second quarter of 2026, as Nigeria's crude oil production surpassed its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production quota.

The achievements were announced in a statement by the Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, who said the intensified operations between April and June 2026 targeted crude oil theft, illegal refining, pipeline vandalism, militancy and other forms of economic sabotage across the Niger Delta.

According to him, the renewed offensive followed the successful completion of the first quarter of Operation DELTA SENTINEL and coincided with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission's (NUPRC) announcement that Nigeria's crude oil production reached 1.735 million barrels per day in June 2026, representing 104 per cent of the country's OPEC production quota and the highest production level recorded since April 2020.

Folorunsho disclosed that the Navy conducted more than 580 intelligence driven operations across Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Cross River and Lagos states during the period.

He said the operations led to the arrest of 91 suspects linked to crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, militancy and other related crimes, while 48 illegal refining sites were dismantled. 

The operations also resulted in the interception of several vessels involved in crude oil theft and the destruction of criminal logistics networks supporting economic sabotage.

Among the notable successes, the Navy arrested the motor tankers MKPODU, WESTAF and STELIOS K, which were allegedly involved in the theft of more than 900 metric tonnes of suspected stolen crude oil.

The Service also recovered over 708,000 litres of illegally refined petroleum products and 310,000 litres of stolen crude oil from a single illegal refining site in Ndoni, Rivers State.

The Navy said sustained intelligence-led operations also dismantled reactivated illegal refining camps, intercepted illicit petroleum consignments and prevented criminal syndicates from restoring illegal refining capacity across the Niger Delta.

It noted that coordinated riverine operations led to the destruction of illegal refining sites, reservoirs, dugout pits, storage facilities, warehouses, concealed fuel dumps, illegal pipeline connections and militant hideouts.

According to the statement, the operations exposed a growing trend of criminal groups attempting to reactivate previously dismantled refining camps. 

However, continuous follow up operations successfully prevented the resurgence of illegal refining activities and disrupted the economic viability of crude oil theft networks.

The Navy attributed the country's improved crude oil production to enhanced security around critical oil and gas infrastructure and the collaborative efforts of security agencies in combating crude oil theft.

It added that sustained naval presence across the Niger Delta waterways had denied economic saboteurs operational freedom, disrupted illicit petroleum supply chains and strengthened the protection of strategic national assets.

The Nigerian Navy reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the nation's maritime domain and supporting the Federal Government's target of increasing crude oil production to 2.5 million barrels per day by 2027.

The Service pledged to sustain intelligence-driven operations and deepen inter-agency collaboration to further dismantle crude oil theft networks in line with the vision of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas Admiralty Medal.