The Nigerian Navy has announced the shutdown of 71 illegal refinery sites and the recovery of over 411,000 litres of stolen crude oil across the Niger Delta in July 2025 alone.
This was revealed in a statement on Friday by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Ayiwuyor Adams-Aliu, who said the operations were carried out under Operation Delta Sanity, an ongoing campaign to tackle crude oil theft and protect Nigeria’s maritime assets.
According to the Navy, the month-long operation led to the discovery and destruction of over 120 dugout pits, illegal storage tanks, and refining equipment in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States.
Among the recovered items were:
-411,400 litres of crude oil
-87,825 litres of illegally refined diesel (AGO)
-72,000 litres of kerosene (DPK)
-21,900 litres of petrol (PMS)
Commodore Adams-Aliu said significant seizures were made on July 4 in Rivers State, where troops found over 66,000 litres of suspected crude oil and 40,000 litres of diesel at illegal refining sites in Ogba, Egbema, and Ndoni.
More arrests and seizures followed on July 14 in Akwa Ibom and Delta States, including an attempt to smuggle petroleum products to Cameroon.
On July 22 and 23, two major illegal operations were uncovered in Biseni Community, Bayelsa, where over 450,000 litres of stolen crude were recovered.
The Navy also intercepted multiple wooden boats used for transporting stolen petroleum products and arrested six suspected smugglers.
Commodore Adams-Aliu noted that these efforts are part of the Navy’s commitment under the leadership of Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla to reduce oil theft, improve Nigeria’s oil output, and protect national resources.
He added that these operations have contributed to Nigeria reaching a production level of over 1.8 million barrels per day, as confirmed by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
A recent report by the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) revealed that Nigeria lost 619.7 million barrels of oil, worth over N16 trillion, to theft between 2009 and 2020. However, losses have dropped significantly from 36.69 million barrels in 2022 to 7.68 million barrels in 2023 — a result attributed to improved security and tighter oversight.
“The Nigerian Navy remains committed to ensuring maritime safety, ending crude theft, and safeguarding the nation’s oil assets,” Adams-Aliu said.