The Nigerian Navy says it has made a major breakthrough in the fight against crude oil theft with the discovery of 3 suspected illegal refining sites and 6 reservoirs containing about 99,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil, AGO.

The operations were carried out by NNS SOROH and NNS DELTA on Sunday, August 31, 2026, across Rivers and Delta States, following credible intelligence.

This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho.

During the raids, the Navy uncovered:

1. Illegal refining infrastructure including a large refining oven

2. Storage facilities

3. Dugout reservoirs containing suspected stolen crude oil

The Navy said the discoveries represent a substantial disruption to the infrastructure that sustains crude oil theft and illegal refining.

“The identified sites, facilities and recovered products were appropriately handled in accordance with established procedures,” the statement read.

Captain Folorunsho added that the operation shows the Navy’s ability to maintain pressure across multiple areas while denying criminal networks the infrastructure needed to sustain the illegal trade.

The Navy continues to intensify operations to curb oil theft and protect the nation’s petroleum resources.

Source: Nigerian Navy, Channels TV