1 week ago
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A joint operation involving the Nigerian Navy and the Federal Government Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Theft has uncovered a 40,000-litre-capacity illegal refinery concealed in the creeks of Bonny Island, Rivers State.
The facility was discovered following intelligence coordinated through the Joint Intelligence Monitoring Team, which comprises personnel from various security and intelligence agencies.
Speaking to journalists in Bonny on Friday, the Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Bonny, Captain Stanley Umeh, described the discovery as the biggest made by his team since he assumed command in March 2026.
According to him, naval gunboats transported the operatives into the creeks, after which they trekked through thick vegetation before reaching the hidden refinery.
“This discovery here is a product of long-time synergy between the base and other security agencies within the island and outside. It has been a product of actionable intelligence over time,” he stated.
Umeh said the facility was yet to commence full operations, unlike several illegal refineries previously discovered with crude oil already stored or processed.
“Most times we go, we see illegal refineries with pits and crude deposited inside. Some have already cooked, and some are yet to be cooked. But this discovery is like nipping the act in the bud.
“This is their preparatory stage. You could see from the build-up and the set-up of the illegal refinery, it’s meant to be a very big one that would see the siphoning or stealing of crude and brought here for cooking in large quantity,” he said.
He described the operation as a significant step in the Federal Government’s efforts to curb crude oil theft and boost production.
“This discovery is a plus to the fight against crude oil theft in Nigeria, towards increasing the production or crude sales production in the country,” Umeh said.
The commander vowed that the Navy would sustain its surveillance of Bonny’s waterways and difficult-to-access areas to prevent oil thieves from establishing illegal facilities.
“It’s been a zero tolerance for us, both in and out of the waters. It’s been zero tolerance for this kind of illegalities within Bonny Local Government Area generally,” he said.
“We will continue to raid and make sure they have no hiding places. It is a zero tolerance,” Umeh added, noting that the operation was in line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s directive on crude oil theft.
Also speaking, the Head of Investigation of the Special Prosecution Team of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Theft, Omar John Sini, said the discovery demonstrated the importance of collaboration among intelligence, security and law enforcement agencies.
Sini said the task force, inaugurated by the Federal Government on March 1, 2025, had secured at least 137 convictions in connection with illicit activities in the hydrocarbon sector.
“Since inception to now, we’ve been able to secure at least 137 convictions, and that is largely responsible for the drop in the illicit activities in the hydrocarbon sector,” Sini said.
He said intelligence from the Joint Intelligence Monitoring Team, led by Major General A.A. Idris under the supervision of the Chief of Defence Staff, was instrumental to the operation.
Sini explained that while the intelligence team was responsible for gathering and tracking information, the Special Prosecution Team handled investigation and prosecution.
“It is this sync that gave rise to this identity. As we were working as a team with them, by sheer providence, the commander, my elder brother here beside me, was also working.
“So you can imagine that when we put these two teams together, without no time, we deploy relevant technology, identify and track this location.”
He said the agencies were focused on preventing oil theft before criminal operations became fully established.
“The primary purpose of law enforcement is to detect crime. We don’t even want it to occur so that we don’t be reactive, we want to be preventive,” he explained.
Sini disclosed that three suspects allegedly linked to the financing of the illegal refinery were already in custody.
“We’ve been able to detect, we allowed them to invest their money, their hard-earned resources, and they’ve built this refinery with an amount that would be running into millions of Naira.
“What we will do after now is that we are going to treat this place in accordance with extant laws, afterwards face and prosecute the culprits because we already have three suspects in custody that are associated with the financing of this typology of crime in this axis.
“We have already approached the court of law to apply for relevant order,” Sini stated.
He also called for tougher sentencing provisions for petroleum theft offences, arguing that existing penalties may not provide enough deterrence.
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