Operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder have intercepted a major consignment of illegally refined diesel during a renewed crackdown against illicit refining networks and oil thieves.
The operation led to the arrest of eight suspects in Rivers State, in what officials described as a targeted strike on organised economic sabotage, thereby disrupting a key supply chain feeding the region’s black market.
It was driven by actionable intelligence, zeroed in on suspected bunkering routes in Degema and Obologo, long identified as hotspots for illegal refining.
Naval authorities said the mission underscored a shift toward intelligence-led enforcement aimed at dismantling not just makeshift refineries, but the broader distribution networks sustaining them.
Commander of NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Mutalib Ibikunle Raji, speaking through the Acting Base Operations Officer, Lieutenant Commander Justin Jerome, said the patrol team encountered resistance during the operation.
According to him, naval operatives intercepted a boat under suspicious escort by armed elements in the early hours of March 22.
The escorts reportedly fled upon sighting the patrol team, abandoning the vessel and its cargo.
A subsequent search uncovered 423 sacks of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), amounting to about 44,000 litres—an indication, authorities say, of the scale and coordination of the illicit trade.
The arrest and seizure were carried out under Operation Delta Sentinel, a naval initiative aligned with directives from the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, to curb crude oil theft and protect Nigeria’s maritime assets.
The suspects and recovered products have since been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Receiving the suspects, EFCC Superintendent Chioma Blessing Emereole assured that the agency would pursue the case diligently, stressing that those found culpable would face the full weight of the law.
The leader of the suspects, identified as Sokari, claimed ignorance of the operation’s illegality, insisting they were merely hired labourers.
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