The Nigerian Navy has dismantled a large-scale illegal refinery along the Isaka/Ogoloma River in Rivers State, which could produce over two million litres of automotive gasoline oil (AGO) daily.
News About Nigeria gathered that the operation was conducted by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, following the directive of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, to eliminate oil theft and illegal refining activities in the Niger Delta.
During the operation, the Navy destroyed more than 500 crude oil cooking drums using a swamp buggy.
These drums were used by suspected oil thieves to refine stolen crude oil syphoned from a nearby oil wellhead operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
The illegal refinery was uncovered after extensive intelligence gathering and surveillance by the Navy.
According to Commodore Cajethan Nnabuchi Aniaku, Commander of NNS Pathfinder, the oil thieves had employed a new tactic by using drums to refine the stolen crude into AGO and other by-products.
This method offered an advantage due to the drums’ ease of construction and dismantling, making them harder for authorities to detect.
So far, the ongoing operation has led to the destruction of over 500 drums, along with numerous dug-out pits and ovens, all capable of producing more than two million litres of illegally refined petroleum products daily.
Commodore Aniaku issued a strong warning to those involved in illegal refining activities, stating that the Navy will continue to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure.
“In line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s directive to clear all illegal refining sites, we discovered a massive illegal refining site in the Ogoloma area. Our personnel moved in with a swamp buggy and found that the oil thieves had shifted from using large metal pans to drums, which are cheaper and easier to hide. This operation is ongoing, and we will not relent in our efforts to destroy these illegal sites,” he stated.
