Nigerian Navy Disrupts Illegal Crude Oil Storage Hub in Rivers, Recovers 20,500 Litres of Suspected Stolen Crude

The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft in the Niger Delta with the discovery and dismantling of another illegal crude oil storage facility in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The operation, carried out under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, led to the recovery of about 20,500 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude oil and the destruction of a storage network allegedly used by oil thieves.

According to a statement by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, personnel from the Forward Operating Base (FOB) BONNY acted on credible intelligence and conducted a raid around the Bethel Community axis, where they uncovered concealed dugout pits suspected to have been used for storing illegally obtained crude oil.

The Navy said six dugout pits were discovered at the location, with three containing approximately 20,500 litres of suspected stolen crude, while the remaining pits had been prepared for future storage operations.

The Service noted that the structure of the site revealed an organised crude oil storage facility designed to support illegal refining activities and other forms of economic sabotage in the region.

It added that the illegal facility and recovered products were handled in line with established procedures for combating crude oil theft, preventing criminal elements from developing another logistics base for their operations.

The Nigerian Navy reaffirmed its commitment to targeting the infrastructure and networks that enable crude oil theft rather than focusing only on intercepting stolen products in transit.

It stated that dismantling storage facilities and disrupting supply chains would weaken the capacity of criminal syndicates involved in oil theft while protecting Nigeria’s critical oil and gas resources.

The Navy warned individuals and groups involved in illegal oil activities to desist, stressing that offenders would face the full consequences of the law.

The Service further assured Nigerians that it would continue intelligence-driven operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL to safeguard the nation’s maritime environment, strengthen economic security, and combat activities threatening the oil sector.