Nigeria's Navy has struck again in its fight against illegal oil bunkering in Rivers State. Personnel from NNS Soroh acted on intelligence tips to raid the Okolomade area in Abua-Odual Local Government Area.
Acting on credible information, the naval team deployed to the Orashi Forest corridor where smugglers were suspected to be moving contraband fuel. Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, the Navy's Director of Naval Information, disclosed the operation's success in a statement.
During the raid, officers intercepted a silver Toyota Camry believed to be transporting illegally refined automotive gas oil, or AGO. A search of the vehicle turned up 17 sacks of the suspect fuel.
But that was just the beginning. Further sweeps of the forest area uncovered much larger stockpiles hidden beneath dense vegetation in several spots.
Search teams recovered 56 additional sacks spread strategically across different locations within the forest. In total, the operation netted 73 sacks holding roughly 63,290 litres of suspected illegally refined AGO.
Officers also secured the Toyota Camry used for transporting the fuel. Both the vehicle and products are now in Navy custody.
According to Folorunsho's statement, the raid exposed criminal networks' reliance on remote forest areas for storing and moving contraband petroleum. Smugglers have grown increasingly sophisticated in hiding illegal fuel stocks deep in vegetation.
"The operation therefore disrupted another critical link in the illicit petroleum value chain," the Navy said. All recovered products were handled according to existing regulations, officials confirmed.
This latest seizure comes as part of Operation Delta Sentinel, the Navy's ongoing campaign against oil theft and illegal refining in the Niger Delta. Such operations remain crucial to Nigeria's efforts to combat petroleum-related crime.
