Navy Takes Action Against Oil Thieves in Delta, Destroys Illegal Refinery Site

In a further bold show of force against crude oil theft and environmental sabotage, operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta have stormed Obotebe community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta, uncovering and destroying a massive illegal oil refining dump site.

Acting under Operation Delta Sanity II, a strategic directive of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the operation was led by the NNS Delta Commander, Commodore Abdulazeez Zubairu.

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The exercise deployed 14 naval personnel aboard two gunboats and a speedboat to coordinate Lat 5.381734⁰N and Long 5.587105⁰E, deep within the creeks of Obotebe, where the illicit refining operation was discovered.

At the scene of the illegal oil refinery site, although no arrest was made, the team recovered and confiscated critical equipment used in the illegal business, including: One 1.5-horsepower Yamaha engine, one generator, six pumping machines, and two industrial-size rolls of hoses.

Following the seizure of the illegal oil refinery site on Wednesday, the entire dump site was set ablaze and completely destroyed to prevent reactivation.

Commodore Zubairu reaffirmed the Navy’s unwavering commitment to wiping out crude oil theft, illegal refining, and pipeline vandalism across the Niger Delta region.

“This is part of our sustained operations in line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s strategic mandate under Operation Delta Sanity II.

“We are sending a clear message to economic saboteurs that the Nigerian Navy will not relent,” he declared.

He urged community leaders and residents to collaborate with the Navy and other security agencies by providing actionable intelligence to curb the menace.

The Nigerian Navy has intensified its maritime security operations in recent months, as the nation pushes to boost crude oil output and block revenue leakages caused by illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalism.

Photographs and videos of the destroyed site and seized equipment were documented and are being processed as part of ongoing investigations.