Nigerian Navy Arrests Six Suspected Oil Thieves, Recovers Stolen Crude Oil and Destroys Illegal Refineries In Niger Delta

Nigerian Navy Arrests Six Suspected Oil Thieves, Recovers Stolen Crude Oil and Destroys Illegal Refineries In Niger Delta

From Thursday 29 August to Monday 2 September 2024, Nigerian Navy Units under the auspices of Operation DELTA SANITY recorded significant successes against Crude Oil Theft and destroyed Illegal Refining Sites in the Niger Delta. Some of the successes recorded within the 5-day period were as follows:

a. On 29 August, 7 large cotonou and 2 fibre boats operated by heavily armed oil thieves loading crude oil from an illegal loading point around Botokiri axis of Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State were seized.

b. On 31 August, 6 suspected crude oil thieves with 109 sacks of illegally refined petroleum products, 4 fibre boats and 2 wooden boats were arrested and seized along Ogboinbiri-Kasama-Azama-Isoni of Bayelsa State.

c. On 1 September, 2 wooden boats and 328 sacks of illegally refined Automated Gas Oil were seized at Otuogori community river bank in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

d. On 2 September, 35 sacks of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil in a wooden boat were seized at Gbaraun area of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

These successes indicate the effectiveness of Operation DELTA SANITY, and the resolve of the Nigerian Navy to sustain current efforts to rid Nigeria’s maritime environment of the menace of crude oil theft and enhance crude oil production.