The Nigerian Navy has uncovered about 40,000 litres of a substance suspected to be crude oil in a large dugout reservoir in the Oteghele general area of Delta State.
The discovery was made on October 7, 2026, by the Nigerian Navy Ship Delta (NNS DELTA) during an intelligence-led operation targeting suspected crude oil theft and other illicit activities in the area.
Key Highlights
- NNS DELTA uncovered about 40,000 litres of suspected crude oil in a dugout reservoir at Oteghele, Delta State.
- The discovery was made on October 7, 2026, during an intelligence-led operation.
- It comes barely two weeks after about 30,000 litres were recovered in the same area on September 21.
- The navy says the substance and reservoir were handled in line with established procedures.
- The navy vows to sustain operations against crude oil theft in the Niger Delta.
Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
According to Folorunsho, the operation followed credible intelligence received by the navy concerning suspected illegal crude oil storage and related activities within its area of operations.
He said the recovered substance and the dugout reservoir were handled in line with established procedures.
Second Discovery In Oteghele In Two Weeks
The latest discovery comes barely two weeks after another operation in the same Oteghele area led to the recovery of about 30,000 litres of suspected crude oil.
The earlier discovery was made by NNS DELTA on September 21, 2026, as part of the navy’s ongoing efforts to tackle crude oil theft and illegal activities affecting Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
Folorunsho said the repeated discoveries in the area underscored the importance of sustained intelligence-led operations to disrupt illicit crude oil storage and deny criminal operators access to the nation’s petroleum resources.
Read also:
- Navy Discovers 85,000 Litres Of Suspected Stolen Crude In Rivers
- Navy Uncovers 17,000 Litres of Stolen Crude In Delta Hidden Inside Camouflaged Reservoir
- Navy Recover 4.7m Litres Of Stolen Crude, Arrests 91 Suspects In Niger Delta
He reaffirmed the navy’s commitment to intensifying operations across its area of responsibility.
“The Nigerian Navy will continue to sustain intelligence-led operations across its area of operations to disrupt crude oil theft and protect the nation’s critical petroleum resources,” he said.
The latest operation is part of broader efforts by security agencies to curb crude oil theft, illegal refining and other forms of petroleum-related criminality in the Niger Delta.
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