Nigerian Navy Crushes Oil Theft Ring, Seizes 411,000 Litres in Massive July Crackdown
The Nigerian Navy delivered a crushing blow to oil theft networks across the Niger Delta, deactivating 71 illegal refinery sites and confiscating over 411,000 litres of stolen crude oil in July 2025 alone. The massive operation under “Operation Delta Sanity” represents one of the most successful anti-theft campaigns in recent memory.
Naval forces dismantled an extensive criminal infrastructure, destroying 120 dugout pits, illegal storage facilities, and sophisticated equipment used for crude oil theft and illegal refining across Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States. The crackdown recovered 87,825 litres of illegally-refined diesel, 72,000 litres of kerosene, and 21,900 litres of petrol.
The operation’s highlight came on July 22-23 when forces dismantled two large-scale illegal operations in Biseni Community, Bayelsa, recovering over 450,000 litres of crude oil in a single sweep. Multiple arrests were made as naval personnel intercepted wooden boats used for smuggling petroleum products to neighboring countries.
The Navy’s aggressive stance has contributed to Nigeria’s oil production exceeding 1.8 million barrels per day, a significant milestone announced by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission. This success comes as Nigeria continues to battle oil theft that cost the country 619.7 million barrels valued at N16.25 trillion between 2009 and 2020.
Source: punchng.com
