The Nigerian Navy has thwarted attempts by suspected economic saboteurs to establish new illegal refining infrastructure in the Bonny axis of Rivers State following a targeted operation conducted by personnel of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny under Operation DELTA SENTINEL.
According to Director of Naval Information, Commodore Abiodun Folorunsho, the operation was launched after intelligence reports revealed suspicious activities around the Promise Land area in Bonny Local Government Area. Acting on the intelligence, an Anti-Crude Oil Theft patrol team carried out a coordinated reconnaissance mission across adjoining creeks and waterways to verify the threat.
Aerial surveillance deployed during the operation reportedly uncovered concealed refining equipment hidden beneath dense vegetation within the area. Subsequent ground assessment confirmed the existence of two newly constructed illegal refining sites strategically located close to a river channel.
The Navy disclosed that the camps contained improvised cooking pots, interconnected pipe networks, and other support infrastructure believed to have been prepared for the processing and transportation of illegally refined petroleum products through nearby waterways.
Further findings indicated that the operators were still in the early stages of setting up the camps, suggesting an attempt to establish a new illegal refining hub before full-scale operations could commence.
The illegal refining sites were subsequently dismantled in accordance with operational procedures, while the area has been placed under continued surveillance for follow-up monitoring and assessment.
The operation, the Navy said, underscores its increasing focus on proactive disruption of illegal refining infrastructure before criminal networks attain full operational capability. Ongoing operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL are aimed at identifying emerging hotspots, preventing criminal expansion, and denying oil theft syndicates the opportunity to re-establish operations within the Niger Delta.
The Nigerian Navy reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations targeted at protecting critical national assets and safeguarding the nation’s maritime environment from economic sabotage.
