Personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship Delta have uncovered and destroyed an illegal oil refining dump site deep within the creeks of the Niger Delta.
The operation, which took place near Obotebe community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, is part of the Navy’s ongoing offensive against crude oil theft and illegal refining activities under Operation Delta Sanity II.
Commander of NNS Delta, Commodore Abdulazeez Zubairu, disclosed this development to journalists in Warri on Saturday.
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He explained that the raid was informed by actionable intelligence on the activities of illegal bunkerers operating in the region.
The team, comprising 14 naval personnel aboard two gunboats and a speedboat, was deployed to the creeks on June 19, 2025.
“The team proceeded to Obotebe community at coordinates Lat 5.381734⁰N and Long 5.587105⁰E, where they discovered a dump site used for the illegal refining activities,” Commodore Zubairu said.
Recovered items from the site include a 1.5 Horsepower Yamaha engine, a generator, six pumping machines, and two rolls of industrial hoses. These, according to the commander, were part of the tools used by the criminals to process stolen crude.
He emphasized the Navy’s commitment to sanitizing Nigeria’s waterways in line with strategic directives from the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.
“This operation is in line with the mandate of the Nigerian Navy to eradicate crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and illegal refining. We will not relent,” he added.
The Navy has reiterated its resolve to maintain maritime security and protect Nigeria’s oil assets from economic saboteurs threatening national stability.
