NAVY FOILS CRUDE OIL THEFT OPERATION IN DELTA CREEK, RECOVERS 17,000 LITRES
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By: Sunmola Ganiyat
Personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta have uncovered a concealed crude oil storage site used for illegal crude oil theft operations in the creeks of the Niger Delta.
The operation, codenamed “Delta Sentinel,” was carried out following actionable intelligence on suspected oil theft activities around the Ugbokodo Creek area of Delta State.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Warri on Wednesday by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho.
According to the statement, naval personnel, with support from aerial surveillance, conducted a detailed search of the area.
Although the location initially appeared normal, further surveillance using drone imagery revealed a large, freshly dug reservoir hidden beneath leaves, planks, wood, and dense vegetation, deliberately designed to evade detection.
Further investigation uncovered about 17,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil stored within the concealed facility.
Folorunsho stated that the site showed clear signs of recent illegal activity and was believed to serve as a temporary storage point within a broader illicit crude oil supply network.
He noted that the discovery underscores the increasingly sophisticated methods used by oil thieves to conceal stolen products and sustain illegal operations in the Niger Delta.
He added that the integration of intelligence-led operations and aerial surveillance has significantly improved the Navy’s capacity to detect and disrupt such criminal activities.
The recovered crude oil, reservoir, and associated materials were handled in line with established operational procedures to deny economic saboteurs access to stolen resources.
The Navy reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining pressure on crude oil theft networks under Operation Delta Sentinel through sustained surveillance, intelligence-driven operations, and coordinated efforts aimed at protecting Nigeria’s energy infrastructure and economic assets.
Crude oil theft remains a major challenge in the Niger Delta, resulting in significant revenue losses and environmental degradation, with criminal groups increasingly adopting advanced concealment techniques such as underground storage sites and illegal pipeline connections.
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