Abuja: The Nigerian Navy, under Operation Delta Sentinel, has intercepted a consignment of illegally refined petroleum products in Rivers State.
This is the Director of Naval Information, Navy Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho issued this statement on Thursday in Abuja. He said the personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER, acting on credible intelligence, deployed an Anti-Crude Oil Theft patrol team to the Abua-Odual and Ogbologo general areas for the operation.
He said the team had intercepted two wooden boats laden with about 15,000 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) during the patrol.
“On sighting the naval patrol, the suspected perpetrators abandoned the boats and fled into the surrounding creeks to evade arrest,” he said.
Folorunsho said the intercepted boats and products were subsequently secured and would undergo further investigation before being handed over to the appropriate authorities in line with established operational procedures.
He added that the successful operation highlighted the Navy’s resolve to disrupt illegal oil bunkering and other maritime crimes within the nation’s waterways.
The naval spokesman reaffirmed that the operation aligned with the directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, to intensify intelligence-driven missions.
He reiterated the commitment to Operation Delta Sentinel to safeguard Nigeria’s critical oil infrastructure and economic interests.