The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), through the Air Component of Operation DELTA SAFE (AC OPDS) at the 115 Special Operations Group, Port Harcourt, Rivers state, has intensified its role in protecting Nigeria’s energy infrastructure and curbing economic losses from oil theft and illegal refining.
This follows the directive of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, for air components to increase operational tempo across all theatres. The update was given on 19 September 2025 during a briefing by the Commander, AC OPDS, Group Captain Abdulafeez Opaleye.
He explained that daily helicopter sorties across multiple Niger Delta states have denied saboteurs access to pipelines, illegal refineries, and logistics hubs — actions that, according to industry data, are contributing to a measurable rebound in national oil output.
Group Captain Opaleye said, “Between May and August 2025, the Group’s surveillance and attack platforms conducted sustained Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Armed Reconnaissance, and Pipeline Patrol missions over Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states.”
These operations uncovered and destroyed dozens of illegal refining facilities, neutralised camps supporting militants, destroyed cooking tanks and reservoirs, and exposed illicit oil theft networks.
He noted that each mission not only degraded criminal capacity but also reinforced deterrence, making it riskier and less profitable for saboteurs to operate.
Opaleye added that “these security gains have coincided with an uptick in Nigerian oil production. In July 2025, total oil output averaged 1.71 million barrels per day (mbpd), including condensates, while crude oil alone stood at approximately 1.51 mbpd.”
According to him, the figures reflect a steady month-on-month rise from earlier in 2025. The output surge has been broadly attributed to enhanced security operations, including those led or supported by AC OPDS, which have reduced disruptions from sabotage and theft.
The Chief of Training and Operations, Air Vice Marshal Francis Edosa, said mission metrics from May through July 2025 highlight the scale of AC OPDS’s efforts: 117 missions, 189 sorties, 192 flight hours, expending ammunition, consuming over 60,000 litres of Jet A-1 fuel, and destroying 25 cooking tanks, 11 reservoirs, and 3 drums used in illegal refining processes.
He stressed that “these actions have shown that kinetic and intelligence-driven air operations can deliver both security and economic dividends.”
The Nigerian Air Force reaffirmed its commitment to further stabilising the Niger Delta, safeguarding national oil revenue, and ensuring that the skies remain hostile to sabotage and safe for legitimate production.