The Nigerian Navy has recorded another significant operational success in its ongoing battle against crude oil theft and illegal petroleum trading in the Niger Delta, recovering approximately 63,290 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil, commonly known as diesel, and intercepting a vehicle believed to be part of an illicit fuel distribution network in Rivers State.

The operation was carried out under Operation Delta Sentinel by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship NNS Soroh, acting on credible intelligence that pointed to the movement of suspected illegally refined petroleum products within the Orashi Forest corridor. Naval personnel were deployed to the Okolomade community axis of Abua-Odual Local Government Area, where the operation was subsequently executed.

During the initial phase of the operation, the naval team intercepted a silver-coloured Toyota Camry suspected to be conveying illegally refined diesel. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of approximately 17 sacks of the suspected product. Subsequent ground searches of the surrounding area uncovered an additional 56 sacks of suspected illegally refined AGO that had been strategically dispersed across the bush, bringing the total to 73 sacks containing approximately 63,290 litres. The vehicle used for transportation was also seized.

In a statement signed by Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, Director of Naval Information, the Navy noted that the discovery underscored the increasing use of forest corridors and concealed storage points by criminal networks to move illegally refined petroleum products from remote locations into distribution channels. The statement described the operation as having disrupted another critical link in the illicit petroleum value chain.

The latest recovery is part of a sustained series of operations by the Nigerian Navy under Operation Delta Sentinel, which has in recent weeks dismantled reconstructed illegal refinery sites, uncovered concealed fuel stockpiles and disrupted distribution rings across the Rivers-Bayelsa border corridor. The Navy reaffirmed its commitment to intelligence-driven operations aimed at protecting Nigeria’s critical oil and gas assets and denying economic saboteurs freedom of action in the Niger Delta.