Navy Uncovers 40,000 Litres of Suspected Crude Oil in Delta

The Nigerian Navy has uncovered approximately 40,000 litres of substance suspected to be crude oil in a large dugout reservoir in the Oteghele general area of Delta State.

The discovery was made on October 7, 2026, by the Nigerian Navy Ship DELTA (NNS DELTA) during an intelligence-led operation against crude oil theft and other illicit activities in its area of operations.

Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, who disclosed this in a statement, said the operation followed credible intelligence on suspected crude oil theft in the area.

He said the recovered substance and the dugout reservoir were handled in accordance with established procedures.

The latest discovery comes barely two weeks after NNS DELTA uncovered 30,000 litres of suspected crude oil in the same Oteghele area on September 21.

The Navy said the repeated discoveries underscored its sustained efforts to disrupt illegal crude oil storage and deny criminal elements access to the nation's petroleum resources.

It further assured that intelligence-led operations would continue across its area of operations to combat crude oil theft and safeguard Nigeria's critical petroleum infrastructure and resources.