The Nigerian Navy has uncovered and dismantled a clandestine petroleum storage depot in Okrika, Rivers State, seizing approximately 123,000 litres of suspected illegally refined automotive gas oil in one of its latest strikes against crude oil theft and illicit fuel distribution networks in the Niger Delta.
The operation was carried out by Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder under Operation Delta Sentinel during anti-crude oil theft patrols targeting economic saboteurs and underground petroleum supply chains across the region.
According to Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, naval personnel raided a warehouse within Okochiri Kingdom in Okrika Local Government Area, where they found 410 drums filled with the suspected illegally refined diesel, believed to have been transported from remote refining camps outside the community and stockpiled for onward distribution through black-market channels.
Folorunsho said the discovery highlighted a troubling shift in tactics by illegal petroleum operators, who are increasingly abandoning visible refining camps in favour of concealed storage and distribution hubs to evade security forces while sustaining illicit fuel trade across the region.
He confirmed that the seized products were handled in accordance with established anti-crude oil theft procedures, and that further surveillance and assessment of the surrounding area remains ongoing.
The Navy reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling the logistics and supply networks that sustain crude oil theft, illegal refining and illicit petroleum distribution across the Niger Delta, pledging to sustain intelligence-driven operations that deny economic saboteurs freedom of movement within Nigeria’s maritime and littoral environment.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​