Navy strikes again as illegal refinery is destroyed deep in Delta’s oil-rich creeks.
Operation targets stolen crude hubs, sending tough warning to oil thieves and vandals.
In an intensified crackdown on crude oil theft and environmental degradation, the Nigerian Navy has uncovered and dismantled a large illegal oil refining site deep in the creeks of Obotebe community, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.
The raid was carried out by operatives from the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta as part of Operation Delta Sanity II, a strategic initiative ordered by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla. The operation is one of several recently launched to tackle the widespread problem of oil theft and illicit refining activities that have plagued the Niger Delta region for years.
The operation, which took place on Wednesday, was led by the Commander of NNS Delta, Commodore Abdulazeez Zubairu. Fourteen naval personnel were deployed using two gunboats and a speedboat to the targeted location specifically identified by coordinates Latitude 5.381734⁰N and Longitude 5.587105⁰E. These coordinates fall within the remote and maze-like waterways of Obotebe, an area notorious for illegal refining camps and bunkering networks.
Upon arrival at the scene, naval personnel discovered a sprawling illegal refining dump site. Although no individuals were arrested during the raid, the team recovered an array of tools and equipment typically used in unauthorized crude processing. Items seized from the site included one 1.5-horsepower Yamaha outboard engine, a generator, six pumping machines, and two industrial-sized rolls of hoses tools crucial to the extraction, transfer, and processing of stolen crude oil.
As part of the Nigerian Navy’s standard operating procedure under anti-oil theft missions, the entire illegal site was swiftly set ablaze and razed to the ground to ensure it could not be revived or reused by criminal operators. Photographic and video documentation of the destruction and equipment recovery was captured and is currently being processed to support ongoing intelligence gathering and prosecution efforts.
Speaking after the successful operation, Commodore Zubairu emphasized the Nigerian Navy’s unyielding stance against crude oil theft, illegal refining, and acts of sabotage on national economic infrastructure.
“This is part of our sustained operations in line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s strategic mandate under Operation Delta Sanity II,” Zubairu said. “We are sending a clear message to economic saboteurs that the Nigerian Navy will not relent.”
He further called on local community leaders, residents, and stakeholders in the Niger Delta region to support security agencies by providing credible information that can lead to more raids and arrests. According to him, community cooperation is essential in the ongoing battle to protect the environment and recover the nation’s oil revenue from criminal exploitation.
The Nigerian Navy has significantly increased its maritime and inland waterway patrols in recent months, as Nigeria continues efforts to raise its crude oil production to meet OPEC quotas and national economic targets. Rampant oil theft and vandalism have long undermined these goals, costing the country billions in lost revenue annually.
This latest operation in Obotebe underscores the Navy’s renewed resolve to stamp out oil-related criminality and protect Nigeria’s critical economic resources.
