The navy says it has recorded fresh operational gains in its ongoing crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal mining activities in the Niger Delta under ‘Operation Delta Sentinel’.
Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho disclosed that personnel attached to Navy Ship PATHFINDER uncovered and destroyed an illegal refinery site during an anti–crude oil theft patrol around the Ojekiri general area in Rivers State.
The illegal refinery was located along the Alakiri River and contained about 10 dugout pits filled with an estimated 45,000 litres of stolen crude oil.
The site and the crude oil were destroyed in line with operational procedures after suspected operators fled upon sighting the naval patrol team.
In a separate operation, personnel from navy Ship SOROH arrested 37 suspected illegal miners at Anyama Jetty in Bayelsa State.
The suspects were reportedly apprehended while attempting to transfer black sand from a wooden boat into two trucks waiting at the jetty.
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The operation followed credible intelligence and enforcement of the Bayelsa State government’s directive banning illegal black sand mining in the state.
Naval officials said the suspects, along with the trucks, the wooden boat, and the recovered mineral resources, were handed over to ‘Operation DOO-AKPO’, a Bayelsa State security outfit, for further investigation.
The operations come amid renewed directives, urging naval formations and units to intensify efforts against crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, and other forms of economic sabotage across Nigeria’s maritime domain.
The navy reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the momentum of ‘Operation Delta Sentine’l, stating that it will continue leveraging intelligence and technology to protect the nation’s critical assets and safeguard its economic interests in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
