The Nigerian Navy has uncovered roughly 132,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil saved in 10 dugout pits in Allison group, Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, as half of its ongoing operations in opposition to crude oil theft in the Niger Delta.
The Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed the invention in a press release detailing the Navy’s newest efforts to dismantle unlawful petroleum storage and refining amenities throughout the area.
According to the assertion, the invention was made on Thursday, October 22, 2026, by personnel of Forward Operating Base (FOB) BONNY beneath Operation Delta Sentinel, following actionable intelligence on suspected unlawful petroleum actions in the world.
Navy discovers 10 dugout pits in Bonny
Folorunsho defined that intelligence acquired by naval personnel led to the invention of 10 dugout pits containing roughly 132,000 litres of substance suspected to be stolen crude oil in Allison group.
- “The Nigerian Navy has uncovered an estimated 132,000 litres of substance suspected to be stolen crude oil in Allison community, Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, disrupting a potential storage point within the illicit petroleum supply chain,” the assertion reads in half.
The Navy described the placement as a possible storage level inside the unlawful petroleum provide chain, the place stolen crude oil might be hid earlier than being moved for unauthorised processing or distribution.
- “The operation reinforces the importance of intelligence-led action in identifying concealed petroleum stockpiles and disrupting the infrastructure that enables crude oil theft and the unauthorised movement of petroleum products,” the assertion learn.
The Navy additionally urged group leaders, residents, conventional establishments and different stakeholders to report suspicious petroleum storage amenities, unlawful refining actions and unauthorised motion of petroleum merchandise to safety businesses.
Illegal refining persists regardless of repeated Navy operations
The newest discovery provides to a number of recoveries of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum merchandise recorded by the Nigerian Navy throughout the Niger Delta in 2026.
- In September, naval personnel uncovered roughly 85,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil in 16 hid dugout pits in Allison group, the identical location the place the most recent discovery was made.
- The September 29 operation adopted the dismantling of an unlawful refining camp in the world on September 22, indicating repeated makes an attempt to make use of the group for suspected unlawful petroleum actions.
- Earlier in October, the Navy uncovered one other suspected unlawful refining web site in Orashi Forest, Ogbogolo group, Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
- The October 15 operation led to the invention of 23 dugout pits containing roughly 114,500 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum merchandise.
Of the recovered merchandise, roughly 105,000 litres had been suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), generally referred to as diesel, whereas 9,500 litres had been suspected to be stolen crude oil.
FG introduces new framework to sort out crude oil theft
The newest Navy operation comes amid efforts by the Federal Government to strengthen safety coordination and fight crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and unlawful refining actions throughout Nigeria’s petroleum business.
- On October 12, 2026, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, unveiled a new security framework geared toward defending crucial oil and fuel infrastructure and bettering collaboration amongst organisations answerable for securing petroleum belongings.
- Known because the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry-Wide Security Architecture, the framework seeks to harmonise safety operations, make clear institutional tasks and strengthen coordination amongst authorities safety businesses, personal surveillance contractors and petroleum operators.
At the disclosing, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) additionally disclosed that coordinated safety operations had resulted in the deactivation of greater than 10,000 unlawful refineries and refining websites, the removing of almost 7,000 unlawful pipeline connections and the arrest of over 3,700 suspects.
