The Nigerian Navy has said that in its unwavering commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime domain and eradicating Crude Oil Theft (COT), the force has made significant operational successes under the ongoing Operation DELTA SANITY II.
It was learnt that in January 2025, it made numerous arrests and seizures of several wooden booths laden with stolen crude oil.
In a statement on Thursday by the Director of Information (DINFO), Nigerian Navy, Commodore Aiyuwor Adams-Aliu in Abuja disclosed that they had on Monday, 6th January 2025, seized one wooden boat and one fibre boat laden with about 2,000 litres of stolen crude oil around Krakrama general area in Rivers State.
In the same vein, on Tuesday, 7th January 2025, nine inter-linked Illegal Refinery Sites and 20,000 litres of stolen crude oil in four huge tanks, with additional 1,400 litres of illegally refined Automated Gas Oil (AGO) including two pumping machines and two locally fabricated wooden boats were discovered, deactivated and seized at Obe-Nla riverine community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
However, on Friday, 10th January 2025, one medium-sized wooden passenger/cargo boat conveying six 250 litre capacity drums filled with illegally refined Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) were seized around Bendero and Uta Uyata general axis in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. In the process, five suspects were arrested.
On Saturday 11th January 2025, a militant camp in Opu-Okumbiri, Akassa axis of Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State was raided and two suspected kidnappers were arrested while items seized from the suspects included one AK 56 assault rifle, three locally fabricated guns, five pump action guns, one foreign double barrel gun, 68 rounds of 7.62/39mm, six rounds of 7.62/51mm NATO, 25 shotgun cartridges, four empty AK47 rifle magazines, one National Identity Card, one debit card, one MTN sim card, one Itel phone, one Infinix smart phone, a cash sum of 11,500 naira, one chain saw machine, one hand saw and one Airtel pack without sim.
Commodore Aliu stated that between Sunday 12th January 2025 and 27th January, several arrests, seizures and confiscations of boats and barges containing stolen crude oil were made by men of the Nigerian Navy.
Precisely on Tuesday, January 28th, 2025, an Illegal Refinery site with about eight cooking pots, several metal storage tanks, 15 dugout pits, and a reservoir containing about 3,400 litres of illegally siphoned crude oil was discovered and deactivated at the Kubufari community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.
According to Commodore Adams-Aliu, the successful operations in January 2025 underscore the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to eradicate Crude oil theft.
As a result, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla has reiterated that the Nigerian Navy would continue to work assiduously to eradicate maritime crimes in Nigerian waters.
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