Navy Deactivates 172 Illegal Refineries, Recovers 20m Litres of Crude Oil

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Nigerian Navy yesterday  said  that it deactivated 172 illegal refineries and recovered 20,378,414 liters of crude oil and 367,715 liters of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) in seven weeks after it  launched an operation against crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region 

It put the cost at N15,761,536,440.

Other recoveries include 232,000 Liters of PMS, 830,000 liters of lludge and 66,000 liters of LPFO and 11,781,937 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).

At a briefing in Abuja ahead of its 66th anniversary, the Chief of Operations, Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral A. S. Garba, said 45 suspects were also arrested.

Reviewing the general operations of the Navy, he said  it also performed satisfactorily in the fight against crude oil theft and illegal oil bunkering through operations conducted by operations bases and Forward Operating Bases (FOBs). 

“The most recent and ongoing operation in the NN is Op Dakatar da Barawo (meaning “stop the thief” in hausa language) which was activated on April 1, 2022, in synergy with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited. 

“Pertinently, within seven weeks, the operation recorded some successes.  

“Notably are the arrest of 45 suspects, deactivation of 172 Illegal Refining Sites (IRS), 745 metal storage tanks, 567 ovens, 263 pits including the destruction of 50 wooden boats and 14 speedboats.  Equally, NN Patrol Teams denied oil thieves about 11,781,937 Liters of illegally refined AGO, 20,378,414 Liters (128,180 bbls) of crude oil and 367,715 Liters of DPK. 

“Others are about 232,000 Liters of PMS, 830,000 Liters of Sludge and 66,000 Liters of LPFO. These products are worth over N15,761,536,440,” he said.