The Nigerian Navy has recorded another breakthrough in its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal petroleum trade, intercepting a large consignment of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) being transported through the waterways of Rivers State for onward distribution.
In a statement, the Director Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho stated that the discovery was made by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER under Operation DELTA SENTINEL during routine security patrols around the APS Limited Jetty, Woji.
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According to him, during the patrol, naval personnel observed a wooden boat attempting to discharge its contents under suspicious circumstances.
Folorunsho said that “further investigation revealed that the vessel was laden with approximately 375 sacks containing about 103,500 litres of suspected illegally refined AGO, indicating an organised effort to move illicit petroleum products from remote creek locations into commercial distribution channels”.
He stated that the operation exposed a suspected creek-to-market fuel movement route often exploited by criminal elements involved in the illegal petroleum trade. Such networks serve as critical links between illegal refining camps and end users, enabling economic saboteurs to profit from stolen national resources.
He noted that the wooden boat and its cargo were subsequently secured and handled in accordance with established anti-crude oil theft procedures, thereby preventing the products from entering the supply chain.
The Nigerian Navy remains committed to sustaining intelligence-driven operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL aimed at dismantling the networks that facilitate crude oil theft, illegal refining, transportation, and distribution of illicit petroleum products across the Niger Delta.
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