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Intelligence and surveillance carried out by the Nigerian Navy are yielding tremendous result as it destroyed a reactivated illegal refinery site in Okolomade Community, Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The destruction carried out on Saturday, 14th March, 2026, by Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH, a task unit under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, was said to have acted on credible intelligence which indicated that a previously deactivated illegal refining site had been reactivated.
Disclosing this in a statement on Sunday morning, 15th March, 2026, the Director of Information (DINFO), Nigerian Navy, Captain Abiodun Abidemi Folorunsho further explained that NNS SOROH deployed an Anti-Crude Oil Theft (Anti-COT) team to the location, which discovered that the previously dismantled refining oven had been reconstructed.
“Further exploitation of the area also led to the discovery of additional refining equipment and storage facilities containing about 3,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
“The illegal refining infrastructure, including ovens, storage tanks, hoses, connected pipes, and newly acquired metal components used for illegal refining activities, was subsequently destroyed in accordance with extant operational procedures.”
In consonance with the directives of the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, the Nigerian Navy has reiterated that it would intensify operations against crude oil theft and illegal bunkering across the nation’s maritime domain.
Adding that the force remains committed to sustaining the momentum of Operation DELTA SENTINEL through intelligence-led operations aimed at dismantling illegal refining networks and protecting Nigeria’s critical oil infrastructure.
