2.3 million litres of petroleum products recovered, 70 suspects arrested in Q3: Navy

The Nigerian Navy, under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, has recovered approximately 2.3 million litres of petroleum products between July and September.

This is contained in a statement by the Director of Naval Information, Abiodun Folorunsho, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Folorunsho said the navy recorded significant success in the campaign against crude oil theft, illegal refining, pipeline vandalism, maritime crime and other forms of economic sabotage within the period under review.

He also said the service intensified intelligence-led operations to further disrupt criminal networks, protect critical oil and gas infrastructure as well as secure the operating environment for legitimate economic activities.

“During the third quarter, the navy recovered over 1,555,983 litres of suspected stolen crude oil, 595,470 litres of automotive gas oil, 85,690 litres of premium motor spirit, and 15,774 litres of dual-purpose kerosene.

“The navy also rescued 24 kidnapped persons, arrested over 70 suspects, and seized four vessels and five boats while destroying 14 others for their involvement in crude oil theft. The service also deactivated over 88 illegal refining sites, 363 dugout pits, 20 reservoirs, and 80 storage tanks/reservoirs.

“Eight refining ovens were destroyed, while eight outboard engines, four arms, over 100 rounds of ammunition, and seven vehicles/trucks were recovered from criminal elements,” he said.

According to him, the navy collectively disrupted freedom of action available to criminal networks involved in the theft, processing, storage, and transportation of illegally sourced petroleum products.

“The third-quarter achievements consolidate the operational tempo maintained since the beginning of the year. In the first quarter, the navy conducted more than 183 operations, recovered over 531,500 litres of illegally refined petroleum products, and arrested 18 suspects.

“This momentum increased significantly in the second quarter, when more than 580 intelligence-driven operations resulted in the recovery of approximately over 4.7 million litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products.

“The second quarter also saw the arrest of more than 91 suspects and the dismantling of more than 48 illegal refining sites, among other successes,” he said.

The naval spokesman disclosed that since the commencement of Operation DELTA SENTINEL in January 2026, the navy had disrupted over 241 illegal refining networks/sites.

He said the operation also led to the recovery of approximately 7.5 million litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products and the arrest of over 230 suspects.

“These outcomes underscore the strategic nexus between maritime security, energy security and national economic prosperity, as the navy continues to attack the criminal ecosystem that enables crude oil theft.

“The significance of these sustained operations is further underscored by recent economic indicators.

“Provisional Balance of Payments statistics released by the Central Bank of Nigeria indicate that Nigeria’s crude oil export earnings rose from 8.11 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2026 to approximately 9.4 billion dollars in the second quarter, a 15.78 per cent increase,” he said.

He noted that the improvement reflected the collective efforts of the federal government, regulators, industry operators, security agencies, host communities and other stakeholders.

He, however, emphasised that the sustained suppression of crude oil theft and the protection of critical oil and gas infrastructure by the navy contributed significantly to the improved outcomes due to a more secure environment for legitimate production and evacuation.

Mr Folorunsho also said that the recent conviction of nine crude oil thieves by a Federal High Court, Uyo Division, Akwa Ibom State, was the desired outcome for every arrest made by the service under Operation DELTA SENTINEL.

He advocated swifter investigations and diligent prosecution for persons arrested for crude oil theft, illegal refining and acts of economic sabotage.

“Timely prosecution is essential to strengthening deterrence and ensuring that criminal networks do not view arrest as merely a temporary disruption to their activities,” he added.

The naval spokesman reaffirmed the navy’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations to dismantle crude oil theft networks and protect critical national assets under the leadership of the Naval Chief, Idi Abbas.

Mr Folorunsho further said that the navy would continue to strengthen cooperation with host communities and other relevant stakeholders whose support remained vital to denying criminals the freedom of action required to sustain illicit activities.

(NAN)