…Recovers over 4.6m litres of stolen products

 

The Nigerian Navy has said that following sustained maritime operations and improved security around critical oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta, crude oil production reached 1.735 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026, as announcement by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

 

This represents 104 per cent of Nigeria’s OPEC production quota and the highest crude oil output recorded since April 2020.

 

The Director of Naval Information, Navy Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho, who disclosed this in a statement, said that persistent naval presence across the Niger Delta waterways denied economic saboteurs freedom of action, disrupted illicit petroleum products supply chains, and enhanced the integrity of critical oil and gas infrastructure.

 

“The Service remains resolute in its commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime domain, protecting vital national assets, and enhancing oil production to support the Federal Government’s goal of reaching 2.5 million barrels per day by 2027,” Folorunsho said.

 

He said during the period, the Navy under Operation Sentinel conducted 58 operations across five states in sustained offensive against crude oil theft, illegal refining, pipeline vandalism, militancy and other forms of economic sabotage across the maritime domain, recovering a total of 4.698 million litres of stolen petroleum products.

 

The breakdown of the recoveries shows over 2.3 million litres of crude oil, over 2.3 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and 6,000 Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) were stolen in the period.

 

According to Folorunsho, 58 illegal refining sites, 48 illegal storage facilities, 239 dugout pits, 53 reservoirs, and 13 ovens were destroyed between April and June 2026.

 

“Since April 2026, the Nigerian Navy has conducted over 580 intelligence-driven operations across Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Cross River, and Lagos States.

 

“These operations have resulted in the recovery of over 4.698 million litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products, the arrest of over 91 suspects involved in crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, militancy and related crimes, the dismantling of over 48 illegal refining sites, the interception of multiple vessels engaged in crude oil theft, and the destruction of criminal logistics networks supporting economic sabotage.

 

“Among the major operational successes recorded were the arrest of the motor tankers MKPODU, WESTAF, and STELIOS K, which were linked to the theft of more than 900 metric tonnes of suspected stolen crude oil, the recovery of over 708,000 litres of illegally refined products and 310,000 litres of stolen crude oil from a single illegal refining site in Ndoni, Rivers State, as well as numerous intelligence-led operations that dismantled reactivated refining sites, intercepted illicit fuel consignments and prevented criminal syndicates from restoring illegal production capacity across the Niger Delta,” he said.

 

The Naval spokesman assured that the Service would continue to conduct intelligence-led operations and strengthen inter-agency cooperation to further degrade oil theft networks within the Nigerian maritime environment in line with the vision of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas.