TRUETELLS Nigeria reports that the Nigerian Navy has recovered more than 20,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and deactivated an illegal refining facility in Bonny Local Government Area, Rivers State.
The operation, disclosed on March 26 by the Director of Naval Information, Abiodun Folorunsho, was conducted under Operation DELTA SENTINEL. It comes just four days after the Navy intercepted about 44,000 litres of suspected illegally refined petroleum products and arrested eight suspects in the state, highlighting an intensified crackdown on crude oil theft in the Niger Delta.
According to the Navy, the operation led to the discovery and shutdown of an active illegal refining site at Allison Community, where personnel recovered significant volumes of stolen crude oil.
“The Nigerian Navy has recorded another operational success under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, with the deactivation of an active illegal refining site in Bonny and the recovery of over 20,000 litres of stolen crude oil,” the statement said.
The Navy emphasized that the operation is part of broader efforts to combat oil theft, protect national economic interests, and support the Federal Government’s goal of achieving 2.5 million barrels of oil production per day in 2026.
Acting on actionable intelligence, a patrol team from Forward Operating Base BONNY under the Eastern Naval Command identified the illegal site, which contained dugout pits, locally fabricated cooking and cooling systems, and sacks holding suspected stolen crude. Suspects reportedly fled upon the arrival of naval personnel.
This disclosure follows another operation just three days earlier in the Degema/Ogbogoro/Ogbologo axis, where naval forces also intercepted large volumes of illicit petroleum products, demonstrating sustained enforcement across multiple hotspots in Rivers State.
Crude oil theft and illegal refining remain major challenges for Nigeria’s oil sector. According to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Nigeria recorded crude losses of approximately 37.6 million barrels in 2021, declining to 4.1 million barrels in 2024. Between January and July 2025, losses still stood at about 2.04 million barrels.
In recent years, the Nigerian Navy has intensified anti-theft operations, dismantling over 800 illegal refineries and recovering around 171,000 barrels of stolen crude over a two-year period.
