Nigerian Navy Uncover Massive Illegal Oil Refinery in Rivers State

The Nigerian Navy and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Theft have made significant progress in their fight against oil theft, uncovering a massive illegal crude oil refinery in Rivers State.

The facility, located in Bonny Local Government Area, has a capacity of 40,000 litres and was still in its preparatory stage when discovered. According to Captain Stanley Umeh, Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Bonny, this is the biggest discovery made by his team since he assumed command in March 2026.

The Special Prosecution Team of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Theft has secured 137 convictions of oil thieves from different courts since its inception in 2025. The team's Head of Investigation, CSP Omar John Sini, attributed their success to collaboration between intelligence, security, and law-enforcement agencies.

The operation that led to the discovery of the refinery was a joint effort involving personnel from several security and intelligence agencies. Three suspects linked to the financing of the operation are already in custody, and the Special Prosecution Team will treat the site according to extant laws before prosecuting the culprits.