Navy shuts down 71 illegal refineries, seizes 411,000 litres of stolen crude in July

The Nigerian Navy has intensified its clampdown on crude oil theft, deactivating 71 illegal refinery sites and confiscating more than 411,000 litres of stolen crude oil across the Niger Delta in July 2025 alone.

The figures were revealed on Friday in Abuja by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Ayiwuyor Adams-Aliu, in the Navy’s monthly operational update.

According to him, the operations – conducted under Operation Delta Sanity – were aimed at tackling large-scale oil theft and economic sabotage within Nigeria’s maritime domain. The crackdown also uncovered 120 dugout pits, illegal storage facilities, and various refining equipment spread across Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States.

In total, the Navy denied oil thieves access to:

411,400 litres of 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)

Adams-Aliu highlighted several key operations during the month. On July 4, troops dismantled refining sites in Ogba, Egbema, and Ndoni (Rivers State), seizing over 66,000 litres of suspected crude and 40,000 litres of AGO. On July 14, arrests and seizures in Akwa Ibom and Delta disrupted smuggling attempts to Cameroon and exposed underground reservoirs of stolen crude.

Two major busts followed on July 22 and 23 in Biseni Community, Bayelsa State, where more than 450,000 litres of crude were recovered. Wooden boats used for smuggling PMS and other petroleum products were also intercepted, with six suspects arrested.

Adams-Aliu reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment under the leadership of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, to stamp out oil theft—efforts he said have contributed to Nigeria’s oil production rising above 1.8 million barrels per day, as confirmed by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.

The Naval spokesman also cited NEITI data showing that Nigeria lost 619.7 million barrels of oil worth ₦16.25 trillion to theft between 2009 and 2020. Encouragingly, losses dropped from 36.69 million barrels in 2022 to 7.68 million barrels in 2023, a reduction attributed to better resource management and tighter security.

“The Nigerian Navy remains resolute in ensuring maritime safety, deterring illicit activities, and safeguarding national resources,” Adams-Aliu said.