The Nigerian Navy has uncovered an illegal refinery along the Isaka/Ogoloma River in Rivers State, capable of producing more than two million liters of automotive gasoline oil (AGO) daily.
The operation, led by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, involved the destruction of over 500 crude oil cooking drums using a swamp buggy. This action aligns with the directive from the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, to combat oil theft and illegal refining in the Niger Delta.
The illegal refinery was linked to a pipeline connected to a nearby oil wellhead operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, used by suspected oil thieves to siphon crude oil for refining. The site was discovered after thorough intelligence and surveillance operations by the Navy.
Commander of NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Cajethan Nnabuchi Aniaku, revealed that the oil thieves adopted a new technique using drums to refine stolen crude oil into AGO and other by-products. This method allows for easy setup and dismantling. So far, over 500 drums, along with several dug-out pits and ovens capable of producing millions of liters of AGO daily, have been destroyed.
Commodore Aniaku issued a strong warning to those involved in illegal refining, reiterating the Navy’s commitment to safeguarding the nation’s critical infrastructure.
He said:
“In line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s directive to clear all illegal refining sites, we discovered a massive illegal refining site in the Ogoloma area.
“Our personnel moved in with a swamp buggy and found that the oil thieves had shifted from using large metal pans to drums, which are cheaper and easier to hide.
“This operation is ongoing, and we will not relent in our efforts to destroy these illegal sites.”
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