By IN a renewed offensive against crude oil theft and environmental destruction in the Niger Delta, the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta has uncovered and destroyed a major illegal oil refining site at Obotebe community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.
Stored illegally refined AGO at the site
The operation, carried out on Wednesday, June 19, 2025, saw a tactical deployment of 14 naval personnel aboard two gunboats and one speedboat under the command of Commodore Abdulazeez Zubairu.
Acting on credible intelligence, the operatives advanced to coordinates 5.381734⁰N and 5.587105⁰E deep within the mangrove creeks of Obotebe, where they discovered a large-scale crude oil processing dump site.
Items recovered from the illegal refining sites
The illegal refining camp, believed to be one of many operated by oil thieves in the area, was dismantled and destroyed on the spot.
Items recovered from the site included: one 1.5 horsepower Yamaha engine, one generator, six pumping machines, two rolls of industrial hoses.
A naval personnel destroying the stored illegally refined AGO
According to Commodore Zubairu, the successful raid is in line with Operation Delta Sanity II – a strategic anti-crude oil theft mission initiated by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.
He stated that the Nigerian Navy remains committed to maintaining zero tolerance for oil theft, illegal refining, and all forms of economic sabotage.
Stored illegally refined AGO at the site
“This latest operation reflects our ongoing efforts to enforce maritime security and protect national assets.
“The era of unchecked crude oil theft is over. We are dismantling these criminal networks one site at a time,” Commodore Zubairu said.
He also called on host communities to support the Navy’s operations by shunning oil theft and providing timely intelligence to security agencies.
Photographs and videos of the destroyed site have been captured for documentation, and further surveillance is ongoing to apprehend those behind the illegal activities.
With this development, the Nigerian Navy continues to tighten its grip on criminal elements sabotaging Nigeria’s oil infrastructure in the region.
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