Nigerian Navy uncovers 132,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil in Rivers

The Nigerian Navy has uncovered approximately 132,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil stored in 10 dugout pits in Allison community, Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, as part of its ongoing operations against crude oil theft in the Niger Delta.

The Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed the discovery in a statement detailing the Navy’s latest efforts to dismantle illegal petroleum storage and refining facilities across the region.

According to the statement, the discovery was made on Thursday, October 22, 2026, by personnel of Forward Operating Base (FOB) BONNY under Operation Delta Sentinel, following actionable intelligence on suspected illegal petroleum activities in the area.

Navy discovers 10 dugout pits in Bonny

Folorunsho explained that intelligence received by naval personnel led to the discovery of 10 dugout pits containing approximately 132,000 litres of substance suspected to be stolen crude oil in Allison community.

• “The Nigerian Navy has uncovered an estimated 132,000 litres of substance suspected to be stolen crude oil in Allison community, Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, disrupting a potential storage point within the illicit petroleum supply chain,” the statement reads in part.

The Navy described the location as a potential storage point within the illegal petroleum supply chain, where stolen crude oil could be concealed before being moved for unauthorised processing or distribution.

• “The operation reinforces the importance of intelligence-led action in identifying concealed petroleum stockpiles and disrupting the infrastructure that enables crude oil theft and the unauthorised movement of petroleum products,” the statement read.

The Navy also urged community leaders, residents, traditional institutions and other stakeholders to report suspicious petroleum storage facilities, illegal refining activities and unauthorised movement of petroleum products to security agencies.

Illegal refining persists despite repeated Navy operations

The latest discovery adds to several recoveries of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products recorded by the Nigerian Navy across the Niger Delta in 2026.

• In September, naval personnel uncovered approximately 85,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil in 16 concealed dugout pits in Allison community, the same location where the latest discovery was made.
• The September 29 operation followed the dismantling of an illegal refining camp in the area on September 22, indicating repeated attempts to use the community for suspected illegal petroleum activities.
• Earlier in October, the Navy uncovered another suspected illegal refining site in Orashi Forest, Ogbogolo community, Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
• The October 15 operation led to the discovery of 23 dugout pits containing approximately 114,500 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products.

Of the recovered products, approximately 105,000 litres were suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), commonly known as diesel, while 9,500 litres were suspected to be stolen crude oil.

FG introduces new framework to tackle crude oil theft

The latest Navy operation comes amid efforts by the Federal Government to strengthen security coordination and combat crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and illegal refining activities across Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

• On October 12, 2026, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, unveiled a new security framework aimed at protecting critical oil and gas infrastructure and improving collaboration among organisations responsible for securing petroleum assets.
• Known as the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry-Wide Security Architecture, the framework seeks to harmonise security operations, clarify institutional responsibilities and strengthen coordination among government security agencies, private surveillance contractors and petroleum operators.

At the unveiling, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) also disclosed that coordinated security operations had resulted in the deactivation of more than 10,000 illegal refineries and refining sites, the removal of nearly 7,000 illegal pipeline connections and the arrest of over 3,700 suspects.