The Nigerian Navy has uncovered a suspected illegal refining website containing roughly 114,500 litres of petroleum merchandise in Rivers State, whereas arresting 10 suspected drug offenders in a separate joint operation with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Delta State.
The Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed the developments in a press release detailing the Navy’s latest operations towards crude oil theft, illegal refining and illicit drug actions within the Niger Delta.
According to the assertion, the illegal refining website was found on Thursday, October 15, 2026, whereas the joint anti-drug operation was performed between October 14 and 15, 2026.
Navy discovers 23 illegal refining pits
Folorunsho defined that personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH found the suspected illegal refining website within the Orashi Forest, Ogbogolo group, Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State, following credible intelligence.
The assertion mentioned that credible data led naval personnel to the placement, the place a number of dugout pits containing suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum merchandise had been uncovered.
- “The site contained five large dugout pits holding approximately 105,000 litres of products suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), commonly known as diesel, and 18 smaller pits containing about 9,500 litres of suspected stolen crude oil,” the assertion learn.
Folorunsho added that the suspected operators fled upon sighting the naval personnel, whereas the recovered petroleum merchandise had been dealt with in accordance with established operational procedures.
In a separate operation, personnel of NNS DELTA and the NDLEA performed coordinated raids on places suspected for use for the storage, sale and distribution of illicit medication in Uvwie, Eboh Road, Jakpa Road, Ozuaka group, Orogun, Otokutu and Ughelli in Delta State.
- “The operation resulted in the arrest of 10 suspects and the recovery of substances suspected to include cocaine, methamphetamine, tramadol, cannabis, cannabis seeds, Colorado and other related exhibits,” the assertion added.
The Navy confirmed that the suspects and recovered substances had been handed over to the NDLEA Warri Area Command for additional investigation and essential authorized motion.
Illegal refining persists regardless of Navy raids
Throughout 2026, the Nigerian Navy has recorded a number of recoveries of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum merchandise throughout the Niger Delta, as safety operations proceed to focus on illegal refining networks within the area.
- Between January and March, the Navy deactivated 22 illegal refining websites and recovered greater than 457,000 litres of stolen crude oil and refined petroleum products below Operation Delta Sentinel.
- The operations lined main oil-producing states, together with Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom, as half of efforts to disrupt illegal petroleum actions and defend crucial oil infrastructure.
- However, subsequent discoveries point out that illegal refining actions have endured regardless of the intensified safety operations.
- In July, Nairametrics reported that the Navy uncovered 9 illegal refining websites comprising 23 dugout pits in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, with 18 of the pits containing approximately 104,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil.
- The discovery additionally included 5 newly excavated pits believed to have been ready for illegal refining actions.
The following month, the Navy dismantled three suspected illegal refining websites within the Okolomade and Ogbogolo areas of Rivers State, recovering approximately 91,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil.
The August operation adopted intelligence indicating that illegal refining actions had resumed in beforehand affected places, highlighting the problem of stopping operators from rebuilding dismantled services.
FG introduces new oil safety framework
Beyond the Navy’s operations, the Federal Government has launched extra safety measures geared toward combating crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and illegal refining actions that proceed to threaten Nigeria’s oil and fuel sector.
- On October 12, 2026, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, unveiled a new security framework designed to strengthen the safety of oil infrastructure and enhance coordination amongst organisations liable for combating petroleum-related crimes.
Known because the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry-Wide Security Architecture, the framework seeks to determine uniform safety procedures, make clear operational duties and strengthen collaboration amongst safety companies, personal surveillance contractors and oil firms.
- The framework builds on present safety interventions, together with Operation Delta Sentinel, which the Nigerian Navy launched in January 2026 as an intensified marketing campaign towards crude oil theft, illegal refining and pipeline vandalism throughout the Niger Delta.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has maintained compliance with its crude oil manufacturing quota set by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for 5 consecutive months, regardless of the continued discovery of illegal refining services.
According to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the nation’s crude oil manufacturing elevated to 1.53 million barrels per day in September 2026, in contrast with 1.50 million barrels per day in August.
