By Fredrick Ameh
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its offensive against crude oil theft, dismantling 22 illegal refineries and arresting 18 suspects in a sweeping first-quarter crackdown across the Niger Delta.
The operations, conducted under Operation Delta Sentinel, led to the recovery of over 531,500 litres of illegally refined petroleum products, disrupting key supply chains used by oil theft syndicates operating in the region’s creeks and waterways.
According to naval authorities, the initiative, launched in January to replace Operation Delta Sanity II relies on intelligence-driven tactics, enhanced surveillance, and inter-agency collaboration to operation delta sentinel, target entrenched illegal refining networks and between January and March, naval forces executed more than 183 coordinated operations across Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta states areas identified as major hotspots for illicit oil activities.
Operational data shows February recorded the highest seizures, with 360,700 litres recovered, followed by 118,800 litres in January and 52,000 litres in March, highlighting sustained pressure on criminal operations.
Among key breakthroughs was the interception of 45,000 litres of stolen petroleum in Rivers State, the seizure of an 18-tonne barge used for transporting crude, and the discovery of a 96,000-litre illegal wellhead in Bayelsa State one of the largest identified supply points.
Further raids in March extended to locations including Warri South West, Oteghele Creek, and the Ogbia/Egbema/Ndoni axis, where security forces recovered additional volumes of crude and refined products while dismantling pipelines and storage facilities.
Despite these gains, the Navy acknowledged that oil theft remains persistent, with criminal networks adapting to enforcement measures. In a related development, three vessels suspected of transporting stolen crude were intercepted in Calabar, leading to the arrest of 26 additional suspects now under investigation.
The Navy reaffirmed its commitment to sustained operations, noting that the destruction of illegal refineries and seizure of assets is gradually reducing the profitability of oil theft while safeguarding Nigeria’s critical oil infrastructure.
