Navy uncovers 85,000 litres of crude

The Nigerian Navy has uncovered approximately 85,000 litres of substance suspected to be stolen crude oil during a follow-up operation in the Allison area of Rivers State.

The Navy said the operation also foiled an attempt to re-establish an illegal oil bunkering and refining site in the area, barely a week after security personnel deactivated another illegal refining camp there.

Director of Information, Nigerian Navy, Commodore Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this on Wednesday, saying the operation was conducted by the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny on September 29, 2026, following actionable intelligence on the establishment of a new illegal bunkering site.

According to him, troops uncovered 16 concealed dugout pits, four of which contained approximately 40,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil, while another three held about 45,000 litres of crude oil suspected to be awaiting processing.

He added that the troops also discovered hoses allegedly used to move crude oil at the site.

Folorunsho said the latest operation came barely a week after the deactivation of a major illegal refining camp in the same area on September 22.

He said the successive interventions demonstrated the Navy’s sustained efforts to prevent the regeneration of illicit oil-processing infrastructure in the area.

“The successive interventions indicate that attempts to regenerate illicit oil-processing capacity are meeting continued naval pressure, limiting criminal operators’ ability to restore previously disrupted activities,” he said.

The Navy said the recovered suspected stolen crude oil and associated items were handled in accordance with established procedures.

It added that the operation underscored the importance of maintaining sustained, intelligence-led operations to deny criminal operators the infrastructure required to store, process and transport stolen crude oil.