Navy Destroys Reactivated Illegal Refinery in Rivers, Seizes 3,000 Litres of Suspected AGO
By Onwe Wisdom, Pan Afric Reporters
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft, destroying a reactivated illegal refinery site in Rivers State and recovering about 3,000 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
The operation was carried out on Saturday, March 14, 2026, by Nigerian Navy Ship Soroh a task unit under Operation Delta Sentinel, at Okolomade Community in Abua-Oual-Local Government Area of the oil-rich state.
According to the Navy in a press release e-signed by the Nigerian Navy Director of Naval Information, AA Folorunsho Captain, the action followed credible intelligence that a previously dismantled illegal refinery in the area had been reactivated. Acting on the tip-off, the naval unit deployed an Anti-Crude Oil Theft (Anti-COT) team to the location, where operatives discovered that the illegal refining oven earlier destroyed had been rebuilt.
Further search of the site led to the discovery of additional refining equipment and storage facilities containing approximately 3,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally refined AGO.
The Navy subsequently destroyed the illegal refining infrastructure in line with operational procedures. The dismantled facilities included ovens, storage tanks, hoses, connected pipelines, and newly acquired metal components used for illicit refining activities.
The service said the successful operation aligns with the directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Idi Abbas who has ordered intensified operations against crude oil theft and illegal bunkering across Nigeria’s maritime domain.
The Navy reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the momentum of Operation Delta Sentinel through intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling illegal refining networks and safeguarding the country’s critical oil infrastructure.
