The Nigerian Navy has recorded another operational success under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, intercepting and recovering 92,660 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) concealed within the Rivers–Bayelsa border corridor.
According to a statement by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, the operation was executed by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH following credible intelligence on illegal petroleum activities in the area.
Acting on the tip-off, naval operatives deployed to Okolomade Community in Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State, where aerial surveillance and follow-up search operations led to the discovery of about 138 sacks of suspected illegally refined AGO. The products were reportedly concealed under vegetation and at various points along adjoining creek and waterway routes.
The Navy noted that the recovery underscores a growing trend in which criminal networks involved in illegal oil refining use hidden creek-side storage locations to evade detection. The seized products have since been handled in line with extant regulatory procedures, effectively denying economic saboteurs access to illicit revenue streams.
The operation also extended into the broader Rivers–Bayelsa maritime environment, a region often associated with crude oil theft and illegal refining activities. Bayelsa State has similarly remained a hotspot for such criminal operations, prompting sustained naval surveillance and enforcement actions.
NNS SOROH played a central role in the intelligence-led operation, which combined surveillance, reconnaissance and coordinated search efforts across difficult terrain and waterways.
The Navy reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining sustained, intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling illegal crude oil theft networks and disrupting illicit petroleum distribution channels across the Niger Delta.
According to the statement, the success of Operation DELTA SENTINEL reflects ongoing efforts by the maritime force to protect critical national economic assets and curb activities that undermine Nigeria’s oil sector and broader economy.
