The Nigerian Navy has recorded fresh operational successes under Operation Delta Sentinel, destroying an illegal oil refinery site and arresting 37 suspected illegal miners in the Niger Delta region.
In a statement signed by Director of Naval Information Captain A. A. Folorunsho said the operations were carried out by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship PATHFINDER and Nigerian Navy Ship SOROH in Rivers State and Bayelsa State, respectively, as part of intensified efforts to combat crude oil theft and other illegal activities in the region.
During an anti–crude oil theft patrol around the Ojekiri general area of Rivers State, a team from NNS PATHFINDER discovered an illegal refinery site along the Alakiri River containing about 10 dugout pits loaded with an estimated 45,000 litres of stolen crude oil.
According to the Navy, the illegal facility and the recovered crude were destroyed in line with operational procedures, while suspected operators fled the scene upon sighting the naval personnel.
In a related development, a patrol team from NNS SOROH, acting on credible intelligence and in compliance with the Bayelsa State Government’s ban on black sand mining, arrested 37 suspected illegal miners at Anyama Jetty in Yenagoa.
The suspects were apprehended while attempting to transfer an unspecified quantity of black sand from a wooden boat into two trucks waiting at the jetty.
The Navy said the suspects, along with the trucks, wooden boat and the recovered mineral resources, were handed over to Operation DOO-AKPO, the Bayelsa State security outfit, for further investigation.
The development follows a directive by the Chief of the Naval Staff, Idi Abbas, ordering naval formations and units to intensify operations against crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other forms of economic sabotage in Nigeria’s maritime domain.
The Nigerian Navy reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the momentum of Operation Delta Sentinel through intelligence-driven operations and technological support to protect the country’s critical national assets and economic interests in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
