Abuja: In coordinated operations conducted this week across Rivers, Bayelsa, and Cross River, the Nigerian Navy escalated its fight against crude oil theft and militant activity. The sweep destroyed illegal refineries and dismantled hideouts, underscoring a renewed drive to curb economic sabotage and restore security in the Niger Delta.
This update was detailed in separate statements issued on Saturday in Abuja by the Director of Naval Information, Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho, who summarised operations carried out earlier in the week.
Folorunsho said the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER, acting on credible intelligence earlier this week, dismantled five illegal refining sites in Ahoada West, Rivers.
The sites near Egboama-Ogbogolo held over 160,000 litres of crude oil and refined products, sourced from a nearby wellhead, and were destroyed in line with standard procedures.
According to him, the products were sourced from a nearby wellhead, while the illegal infrastructure was subsequently destroyed in line with operational procedures.
Similarly, NNS SOROH intercepted equipment, including jerrycans, hoses, and pipes, used for illegal pipeline connections near the Soku Gas Plant corridor.
Items recovered, he said, included jerrycans, hoses and pipes used for siphoning petroleum products.
No arrests were made because the suspects fled upon the arrival of naval personnel.
In a related development earlier this week, Folorunsho said that naval troops, alongside personnel of the Nigerian Army, stormed Dayspring Island along the Calabar–Oron channel in Cross River in response to increased cases of kidnapping.
He said the operation, led by NNS VICTORY and Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, forced suspected militants to abandon their camps and flee.
The navy spokesman said troops later that day discovered and destroyed a militant hideout linked to a notorious suspect known as “Juju,” who escaped during the operation.
He added that two boats fitted with outboard engines were recovered, while one suspected informant was arrested and is currently in custody.
According to him, following the operation, a 13-hour restriction on maritime movement was imposed in the area to sustain operational gains and curb criminal activities.
He stated that the operations disrupted criminal logistics and restricted movement in the creeks.
He reaffirmed the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to sustaining aggressive operations to secure the maritime domain and protect critical national assets.
