Navy Foils Illegal Refining Site Reactivation, Recovers 350 Litres Of AGO In Rivers

The Nigerian Navy has foiled an attempt to reactivate an illegal refining site in Rivers State, recovering approximately 350 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) in the process.

The operation was conducted by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH on September 6, 2026, following credible intelligence on the planned reactivation of illegal refining activities in the Okolomade general area of Abua/Odual Local Government Area of the state.

According to a statement issued by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folarunsho, the suspected operators fled upon sighting the naval team, abandoning the illegally refined product and two wheelbarrows believed to have been used to transport it.

The Navy also disclosed that its personnel revisited a previously disrupted illegal refining site in the Ogbogolo area as part of the operation.

The team rendered remaining metallic ovens, storage tanks and other associated infrastructure unusable, effectively preventing criminal operators from reviving the illicit refining activities at the location.

The Navy said the latest interventions represented a deliberate shift from merely disrupting illegal refining operations to dismantling the infrastructure that enables operators to repeatedly restart their activities.

It added that the strategy was aimed at weakening the resilience of illicit petroleum networks and denying criminal elements the capacity to sustain illegal refining activities in the area.