Nigerian Navy nabs 8 for alleged crude oil theft, crushes illegal refineries

The Nigerian Navy has made significant strides in combating crude oil theft and maritime crimes in the Niger Delta region.

As part of its Operation DELTA SANITY, the Navy arrested eight suspected oil thieves and destroyed numerous illegal refineries.

Commodore A. Adams-Aliu, Director of Information at Naval Headquarters, confirmed in a press statement that these successes occurred between 4 and 23 September 2024.

“On 4 September, our troops seized three wooden boats and one speedboat carrying stolen crude oil near Brass River, Bayelsa State,” said Adams-Aliu.

He added that more operations followed swiftly, with illegal refinery sites and equipment destroyed in various locations across Rivers, Delta, and Ondo states.

One of the major operations took place on 5 September, where two refinery sites, multiple reservoirs, and wooden boats filled with stolen oil were seized near Bonny Channel in Rivers State.

Another significant bust occurred on 9 September, with the Navy destroying two active refinery sites in Delta State, capturing a large amount of stolen crude oil in the process.

The operations continued, with highlights including the arrest of two sea robbers on 12 September in Akwa Ibom State and the destruction of four illegal refinery sites on 19 September in Bayelsa State.

Commodore Adams-Aliu stated, “The Nigerian Navy remains committed to maintaining this momentum to disrupt the activities of oil thieves, thereby boosting the nation’s crude oil production.”

Cumulatively, the Navy’s 21-day operations resulted in the seizure of 19 illegal refining sites, 138 sacks of stolen crude oil, 26 reservoirs, and 25 boats.

The Navy pledged to continue dismantling illegal refineries, ensuring enhanced economic development through increased crude oil production.