Nigerian Navy busts illegal refinery in Rivers State

The Nigerian Navy says it has uncovered an illegal refinery capable of producing over two million litres of automotive gasoline oil (AGO) daily along the Isaka/Ogoloma River in Rivers State.

Following the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla’s order, the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder carried out a sting operation to eradicate oil theft and illegal refining activities in the Niger Delta, which involved the destruction of more than 500 crude oil cooking drums using a swamp buggy.

The illegal refinery, which had a pipeline connected to a nearby oil wellhead operated by Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), was used by economic saboteurs to siphon crude oil for refining.

The site was busted after extensive intelligence and surveillance efforts by the Navy.

Commander of NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Cajethan Nnabuchi Aniaku, said that the oil thieves employed a new tactic by using drums to refine stolen crude oil into AGO and other by-products.

According to him, this method provided an advantage because the drums were easy to construct and disassemble.

He said that the ongoing operation has so far destroyed over 500 drums as well as numerous dug-out pits and ovens, all capable of producing over 2 million litres of illegally refined petroleum products daily.

Commodore Aniaku issued a stern warning to those involved in illegal refining activities, emphasizing that the Navy remains committed to protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure.

He said: “In line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s directive to clear all illegal refining sites, we discovered a massive illegal refining site in the Ogoloma area.

“Our personnel moved in with a swamp buggy and found that the oil thieves had shifted from using large metal pans to drums, which are cheaper and easier to hide.

“This operation is ongoing, and we will not relent in our efforts to destroy these illegal sites.”