Navy
The Nigerian Navy has blocked a fresh attempt by crude oil theft syndicates to set up illegal storage infrastructure within the Bonny axis of Rivers State.
The successful operation was disclosed in an operational report released on Monday in Abuja by the Director of Naval Information, Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho.
He stated that the crackdown was executed by personnel from the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny under the auspices of Operation Delta Sentinel.
According to the report, naval personnel conducted a targeted anti-crude oil theft raid around the Dema Abbey Community in Bonny. The operation uncovered seven concealed dugout pits strategically hidden within the area.
Disrupting the Logistics Chain
A preliminary assessment by the naval team revealed that the syndicates were caught in the preparatory stages of their operation:
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4 Fresh Pits: Newly excavated and ready to receive stolen products.
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3 Water-Filled Pits: Prepared as temporary storage reservoirs to hold siphoned crude oil before its transit to illegal refining sites.
Following standard anti-crude oil theft procedures, naval personnel immediately dismantled the newly excavated infrastructure, successfully preventing the criminal elements from establishing a new storage hub in the zone.
Proactive Defense of National Assets
Capt. Folorunsho emphasized that the raid highlights the Navy’s shift toward a proactive operational strategy—disrupting economic sabotage before illicit infrastructure becomes fully functional.
“This preventive approach continues to weaken the logistics chain sustaining crude oil theft and illegal refining across the Niger Delta,” Folorunsho stated.
The naval spokesperson reaffirmed the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to maintaining intelligence-driven operations to dismantle criminal networks, deny economic saboteurs freedom of action, and safeguard the nation’s critical oil and gas assets.
