The Nigerian Navy has thwarted attempts by economic saboteurs to establish new illegal refining infrastructure in the Bonny axis of Rivers State following a targeted operation conducted by personnel of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny under Operation DELTA SENTINEL.
The operation forms part of ongoing efforts to combat crude oil theft and protect critical national assets in the Niger Delta.
In a statement, the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho disclosed that the operation was initiated after intelligence reports indicated suspicious activities around the Promise Land area within Bonny Local Government Area.
According to him, in response, an Anti-Crude Oil Theft patrol team conducted a coordinated reconnaissance mission across adjoining creeks and waterways to verify the threat.
Folorunsho said that “aerial surveillance deployed during the operation exposed concealed refining equipment hidden beneath thick vegetation within the area”.
Subsequent ground assessment confirmed the existence of two newly constructed illegal refining sites strategically positioned close to the river channel.
He noted that “the sites contained improvised cooking installations, interconnected pipe networks, and support infrastructure believed to have been prepared for the processing and movement of illegally refined petroleum products through nearby waterways.’
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Further assessment revealed that the operators were still in the early stages of establishing the camps, indicating an attempt to create a new refining cluster within the area before full-scale operations could commence.
“The refining sites were subsequently dismantled in line with operational procedures, while the location has been placed under continued monitoring for follow-up assessment and surveillance”, he said.
The operation reflects the Nigerian Navy’s increasing emphasis on proactive disruption of illegal refining infrastructure before criminal networks fully establish operational capacity.
