By Emmanuel Ekwem
The Nigerian Navy has dismantled and destroyed an illegal refining site in Promise Land Community, along Nanabie Creek in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The operation, conducted by the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny under Operation Delta Sentinel, also resulted in the destruction of three large storage tanks and other equipment allegedly intended for illegal refining activities.
Director of Information, Nigerian Navy, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
According to Folorunsho, the illegal refining site was discovered on September 30, 2026, following credible intelligence.
He said the site comprised one large cooking pot and three large storage tanks believed to have been deployed for illegal crude oil refining.
“On 2 October 2026, the Commanding Officer, FOB Bonny, Captain SMC Umeh, led a team to the location, where the illegal refining site and associated equipment were destroyed in accordance with established regulations,” Folorunsho said.
Navy targets crude oil theft infrastructure
The Navy said the operation was aimed at denying criminal operators the infrastructure required to process and store stolen crude oil.
“The intervention represents a further disruption of illegal refining capacity within the Bonny area, particularly by removing infrastructure that could be used to process and store stolen crude oil,” the statement said.
The latest operation, according to the Navy, followed a series of recent activities by FOB Bonny under Operation Delta Sentinel, which uncovered substantial quantities of suspected stolen crude oil as well as illegal refining equipment within its area of operations.
The Navy said it was strengthening surveillance and monitoring across the Bonny axis to prevent criminal operators from establishing or reactivating illegal refining sites.
“The Nigerian Navy has continued to strengthen surveillance and monitoring across the area to prevent the establishment or reactivation of illegal refining sites and deny criminal operators the infrastructure required to sustain crude oil theft and related activities,” Folorunsho said.
