The Nigerian Navy says it has disrupted an illegal fuel concealment network operating within the Rivers–Bayelsa border corridor, recovering 92,660 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) in a targeted operation under Operation Delta Sentinel.
According to a statement issued on 4 June 2026 by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, the breakthrough followed credible intelligence that led personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH to Okolomade Community in Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Navy explained that aerial surveillance and subsequent search operations uncovered about 138 sacks of suspected illegally refined AGO, concealed under vegetation and at various hidden points along adjoining creeks and waterways. The fuel products were reportedly stored by criminal networks engaged in illegal petroleum activities within the Niger Delta.
Authorities say the recovery highlights the increasing tactics used by oil thieves, including the use of remote creek-side storage locations to evade detection.
The seized products have since been handled in line with extant regulatory procedures, effectively denying economic saboteurs access to the stolen resources.
The Nigerian Navy reiterated its commitment to sustained intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling crude oil theft and illegal petroleum distribution networks across the Niger Delta, assuring that such enforcement actions will continue under ongoing security operations.
