The Nigerian Navy has disrupted attempts by economic saboteurs to establish new illegal refining infrastructure in the Bonny axis of Rivers State following a targeted operation carried out by personnel of Forward Operating Base (FOB) BONNY under Operation DELTA SENTINEL.
Naval authorities disclosed that the operation was launched after intelligence reports revealed suspicious activities around the Promise Land area in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
In response, an Anti-Crude Oil Theft patrol team conducted a coordinated reconnaissance mission across adjoining creeks and waterways to verify the threat and assess the extent of illegal activities within the area.
According to the Navy, aerial surveillance deployed during the operation uncovered concealed refining equipment hidden beneath dense vegetation. A subsequent ground assessment confirmed the presence of two newly constructed illegal refining sites strategically located close to the river channel.
The sites reportedly contained improvised cooking pots, interconnected pipe networks, and other support infrastructure believed to have been prepared for the processing and transportation of illegally refined petroleum products through nearby waterways.
Further investigation revealed that the operators were still in the early stages of setting up the camps, indicating an attempt to create a new illegal refining cluster in the area before full-scale operations could begin.
The Navy said the refining sites were dismantled in line with operational procedures, while the location has been placed under continued monitoring for follow-up surveillance and assessment.
The operation, according to naval authorities, reflects the Nigerian Navy’s increasing focus on proactive disruption of illegal refining infrastructure before criminal networks fully establish operational capacity.
The Navy added that ongoing operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL remain focused on identifying emerging hotspots, preventing criminal expansion, and restricting the ability of oil theft syndicates to regenerate within the Niger Delta.
The service reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations aimed at protecting critical national assets and safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime environment from economic sabotage.
