By Sandra Kenneth
In a major crackdown on crude oil theft, a combined team of the Nigerian Navy and the Federal Government Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Theft has uncovered a clandestine 40,000-litre capacity illegal refinery hidden deep within the creeks of Bonny Island, Rivers State.
The successful operation followed coordinated actionable intelligence gathered by the Joint Intelligence Monitoring Team, comprising operatives from multiple security and intelligence agencies.
Briefing newsmen in Bonny, the Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (FOB), Bonny, Captain Stanley Umeh, described the bust as the largest operation carried out by his command since he assumed leadership in March 2026.
Umeh disclosed that naval gunboats deployed operatives deep into the creeks, where personnel navigated dense vegetation on foot to locate the hidden facility.
“This discovery is a product of long-time synergy between the base and other security agencies both within and outside the island,” Umeh said. “It is the result of sustained intelligence gathering.”
Unlike previous operations where crude oil had already been stored or processed, Captain Umeh highlighted that this facility was intercepted in its preparatory stages—marking a significant preventive victory for maritime security.
“Most times, we encounter illegal refineries with crude already deposited in pits or undergoing distillation,” Umeh explained. “This discovery is different; it is nipping the act in the bud. From the build-up and structural setup, it was designed to steal and process crude oil in massive quantities.”
He added that dismantling the facility before it became operational provides a vital boost to national efforts aimed at curbing oil theft and ramping up Nigeria’s crude oil production.
Reiterating the military’s commitment to securing the region, the Naval Commander assured residents of intensified land and waterway surveillance across Bonny Local Government Area. He emphasized that the operation aligns directly with the strategic directives of the Chief of Naval Staff on zero tolerance for oil theft.
Also speaking, Omar Sini, Head of Investigation for the Special Prosecution Team of the Inter-Agency Task Force, commended the seamless inter-agency collaboration that led to the discovery. Sini noted that the task force, inaugurated on March 1, 2025, remains focused on investigating and prosecuting economic sabotage in the nation’s hydrocarbon sector. He further advocated for stricter statutory penalties and stiffer judicial sentencing for petroleum theft to serve as a stronger deterrent against perpetrators.
