By Emmanuel Obisue
Nigerian Navy has successfully thwarted the theft of more than 129,300 litres of crude oil across the Niger Delta and Southwest regions in February, as part of its ongoing Operation Delta Sanity II.
The Navy’s Director of Information, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, shared the news on Monday, emphasizing the force’s dedication to securing Nigeria’s maritime domain and tackling crude oil theft.
He said in Akwa Ibom, South-South Nigeria, Navy operatives intercepted a wooden boat smuggling 4,750 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to Cameroon near Effiat Creek. Another wooden boat carrying 3,500 litres of PMS was also seized in Egbuhu Creek, en route to Cameroon, he added.
The Navy also noted that in Rivers State, operatives took swift action, seizing several boats loaded with stolen crude oil. On February 9, a fibre boat with 1,000 litres of stolen crude was captured near Buguma and Tuma.
Two days later, another boat carrying 1,300 litres was confiscated, as a large wooden boat with 5,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil was also intercepted in the Opotumbi general area.
Additionally, a large-scale illegal refinery was uncovered at Isaka in the Ogajama area, containing “5 cooking tanks, 4 storage tanks, 6 reservoirs, and 15 dug-out pits with about 1,500 litres of stolen crude oil and 1,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO)”.
Adams-Aliu added that in Bayelsa State, Navy forces continued their assault on illegal refinery activities, deactivating several illegal refinery sites. One operation in Ekeremor Local Government Area led to the discovery of 3 refining ovens, 3 receiving units, 2 wooden boats, and a dug-out pit with over 30,000 litres of stolen crude. On February 15, Navy forces seized 1,000 litres of AGO and 4,000 litres of stolen crude at Otugbene in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
Meanwhile, in Delta State, four active illegal refinery sites were dismantled, and significant quantities of stolen crude oil, along with illegally refined AGO, and were seized near Obodo Omadino in Warri South-West Local Government Area.
In the Southwest, the Navy intercepted and seized boats carrying a total of 23,400 litres of illegally refined AGO in Ondo State.
