The Nigerian Navy has recovered more than 2.25 million litres of petroleum products, rescued 24 kidnapped persons and arrested over 70 suspects during operations against crude oil theft, illegal refining and other maritime crimes in the third quarter of 2026.
 
The operations, conducted under Operation Delta Sentinel between July and September, also led to the seizure of four vessels and five boats, the destruction of 14 boats and the deactivation of illegal refining facilities.
 
The Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed the figures in a statement yesterday detailing the service’s operational achievements during the period.
 
According to him, the recovered products comprised 1,555,983 litres of suspected stolen crude oil, 595,470 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 85,690 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and 15,774 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK).
 
The Navy also identified more than 363 dugout pits, deactivated illegal refining sites, destroyed eight refining ovens and recovered eight outboard engines, four arms, over 100 rounds of ammunition and seven vehicles and trucks.
 
The statement added that 19 reservoirs were discovered, while 80 storage tanks and reservoirs were identified in the course of the operations.
 
Folorunsho said the operations were aimed at dismantling the infrastructure and logistics supporting crude oil theft, illegal refining, pipeline vandalism and other forms of economic sabotage, while protecting critical oil and gas assets.
 
The third-quarter results build on the service’s activities in the first half of the year. In the first quarter, the Navy conducted more than 183 operations, recovered over 531,500 litres of illegally refined petroleum products and arrested 18 suspects.
 
In the second quarter, more than 580 intelligence-led operations resulted in the recovery of over 4.698 million litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products. The Navy also arrested more than 91 suspects and dismantled over 48 illegal refining sites.
 
Between July and September, the service recovered more than 2.25 million litres of petroleum products, arrested over 70 suspects and rescued 24 kidnapped persons, alongside seizures of vessels and boats and the destruction of refining infrastructure.
 
Cumulatively, since Operation Delta Sentinel began in January 2026, the Navy said it had recovered more than 7.482 million litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products, arrested over 230 suspects and disrupted more than 241 illegal refining networks and sites.
   
The Navy linked its sustained operations to efforts to improve the security of oil production and transportation infrastructure.
   
The statement also cited provisional Balance of Payments statistics released by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which showed that crude oil export earnings increased from $8.11 billion in the first quarter of 2026 to $9.39 billion in the second quarter, representing a 15.78 per cent rise.
 
It said the improvement reflected the collective efforts of the Federal Government, regulators, industry operators, security agencies, host communities and other stakeholders, including measures to suppress crude oil theft and protect oil and gas infrastructure.
 
Beyond arrests and seizures, the Navy called for faster investigations and diligent prosecution of suspects arrested for crude oil theft, illegal refining and economic sabotage.
 
It cited the recent conviction of nine crude oil thieves by the Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, as an example of the judicial outcomes it seeks from arrests made during the operation.
 
The service said timely prosecution and appropriate penalties were essential to strengthening deterrence and preventing criminal networks from resuming their activities after arrests.
 
Under the leadership of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, the Navy said it would sustain intelligence-led operations and strengthen cooperation with host communities and other stakeholders to curb oil theft and protect critical national assets.