Navy Busts 500,000 Litres of Illegal Oil

The Nigerian Navy says it conducted over 183 operations and recovered 531,500 litres of illegally refined petroleum products in the first quarter of 2026 under Operation Delta Sentinel.

In a statement on Friday, the navy said the operations, carried out between January and March, also led to the arrest of 18 suspects linked to crude oil theft and other maritime crimes.

It said February recorded the highest recovery volume with 360,700 litres, followed by 118,800 litres in January and 52,000 litres in March.

According to the navy, the operation, inaugurated on January 13, replaced Operation Delta Sanity II and introduced enhanced surveillance, improved intelligence coordination and a structured quarterly review mechanism.

“Key operational milestones during the period include the seizure of 45,000 litres of stolen products in Rivers state between January 20 and January 23. Others are the interception of an 18-tonne barge on February 13, the discovery of a 96,000-litre illegal wellhead in Bayelsa on February 23, and the recovery of 34,000 litres of products on March 5,” he said.

The navy said operations in March intensified across Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa, particularly around Warri South-West, Oteghele Creek, Ogbe-Ijoh, Alakiri River and the Ogbia/Egbema/Ndoni axis.

It said the operations resulted in the recovery of about 45,000 litres of crude oil at Alakiri River on March 14 and the interception of 44,000 litres of AGO at Ogbologo on March 21, with eight suspects arrested.

The navy said additional recoveries ranging from 4,000 litres to over 21,000 litres were recorded, alongside the dismantling of illegal oil infrastructure. It added that at least 12 illegal refinery sites, four storage facilities, three vessels and two wellhead or pipeline connections were destroyed during the period.

It said there was a gradual decline in the estimated market value of recovered products, indicating that sustained naval operations were disrupting the economic viability of oil theft.

It reaffirmed that the navy would sustain intelligence-driven operations and strengthen inter-agency collaboration to degrade oil theft networks.

The navy reiterated its commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime domain and protecting critical national assets, in line with the directive of the chief of the naval staff, Idi Abbas.