Nigerian Navy Shuts Down 71 Illegal Refineries, Recovers 411,000 Litres of Stolen Crude Oil in July
Story written (by SpringnewsNG Media Limited):August 8,2025
ABUJA – August 8, 2025 – The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft, shutting down at least 71 illegal refineries and recovering over 411,000 litres of stolen crude oil across the Niger Delta region in July 2025 alone.
The operation, conducted under the ongoing Operation Delta Sanity, was announced in the Navy’s monthly update released Friday by Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, Director of Naval Information.
According to the statement, the Navy’s Special Forces also destroyed over 120 dugout pits, illegal storage sites, and key equipment used in oil theft and illegal refining in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States.
In total, the Navy denied oil thieves access to:
- 411,400 litres of stolen crude oil
- 87,825 litres of illegally-refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO)
- 72,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK)
- 21,900 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS)
Highlighting key field operations, Commodore Adams-Aliu said that on July 4, troops deactivated several illegal refining sites at Ogba, Egbema, and Ndoni in Rivers State, seizing 66,000 litres of suspected crude and 40,000 litres of refined AGO.
Further raids on July 14 in Akwa Ibom and Delta States uncovered multiple smuggling routes, including attempts to ferry stolen petroleum products to Cameroon, and exposed underground reservoirs filled with crude oil.
On July 22 and 23, the Navy dismantled two large-scale illegal operations in Biseni Community, Bayelsa State, leading to the recovery of over 450,000 litres of crude oil.
Additionally, the Navy intercepted several wooden smuggling boats and arrested six suspected oil thieves in separate operations.
Commodore Adams-Aliu reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigerian Navy, under the leadership of Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, to eradicate oil theft and boost national oil output.
The Navy’s efforts have contributed to Nigeria’s recent production milestone of over 1.8 million barrels per day, as confirmed by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
“The Nigerian Navy remains steadfast in its mission to safeguard Nigeria’s maritime domain, eliminate illegal activities, and support economic stability,” Adams-Aliu stated.
Meanwhile, a recent report by the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) revealed that Nigeria lost 619.7 million barrels of crude oil worth N16.25 trillion to theft between 2009 and 2020. However, losses dropped significantly from 36.69 million barrels in 2022 to 7.68 million barrels in 2023, reflecting improved security and monitoring.
Written by SpringnewsNG Media Limited
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