Nigerian Navy Recovers 773,000 Litres of Crude Oil, Deactivates 468 Illegal Refineries in 2024
Port Harcourt, May 19, 2025 – The Nigerian Navy announced a significant crackdown on oil theft in 2024, recovering approximately 773,000 litres of stolen crude oil and deactivating 468 illegal refineries across the Niger Delta under Operation Delta Sanity. The operation, aimed at curbing crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, also led to the arrest of 215 suspected oil thieves and the seizure of 26 vessels, marking a robust effort to boost Nigeria’s oil production and economic stability.
Rear Admiral Abdul Dewu, Director of Naval Information, disclosed these achievements in a statement reported by Punch Nigeria on May 19, 2025. Additionally, the Navy seized 150,000 litres of illegally refined petroleum products, including Automotive Gas Oil (AGO, or diesel) and kerosene. “These efforts have positively impacted Nigeria’s crude oil production, aligning with the President’s directive to eradicate crude oil theft and ramp up oil exports,” Dewu stated. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) reported a rise in daily production to 1.8 million barrels in October 2024, partly attributed to these operations.
Key operations included a May 12, 2025, raid by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Rivers State, where nine illegal refining sites were dismantled, and 173,000 litres of stolen products—60,000 litres of crude oil, 80,000 litres of AGO, and 33,000 litres of kerosene—were seized. The sites featured 45 ovens, 30 reservoirs, and 75 dugout pits, with two wellheads connected to pipes for siphoning crude, according to Commodore Cajethan Nnabuchi Aniaku. Another operation on May 14 by the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny in Peterside, Rivers State, deactivated a site with 19,000 litres of crude oil, while intercepting a boat carrying 10,000 litres.
The Navy’s efforts, part of Operation Delta Sanity launched by Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, have targeted sophisticated criminal networks in Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Ondo, and Akwa Ibom states. Earlier operations in 2024 uncovered 15 massive illegal refineries in Rivers with a 2.7 million-litre daily capacity and seized 700,000 litres of stolen products by the Nigerian Army’s 6th Division. Despite these successes, challenges persist, with the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) estimating a loss of 620 million barrels of crude oil worth $46 billion between 2009 and 2020 due to theft.
Public sentiment on X reflects approval of the Navy’s actions, with @GazetteNGR and @upshotreports highlighting the 468 deactivated refineries and 215 arrests, framing it as a blow to economic saboteurs. However, critics argue that local complicity and international collusion continue to fuel oil theft, urging stronger community engagement and inter-agency collaboration to address environmental and economic impacts. As Operation Delta Sanity II progresses, the Navy remains committed to securing Nigeria’s maritime domain and supporting national development.
Sources: Punch Nigeria, The Guardian Nigeria, The Nation Newspaper, Blueprint Newspapers, Daily Post Nigeria Posts on Xweb:1,3,4,11,14post:0,1
