…CNS extends lifespan of Operation Sentinel by 90 days

Follow intensified crackdown on large scale illegal refining and crude oil storage activities worth over N1 billion in the last three months across the Niger Delta by the Nigerian Navy, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has extended the lifespan of Operation Sentinel by 90 days.

Operation DELTA SENTINEL, a maritime security operation was launched on 13 January 2026 to strengthen the protection of Nigeria’s maritime environment and combat crude oil theft in the Niger Delta. It replaced Operation Delta Sanity II.

The Director of Naval Information, Navy Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho, said the extension was to ensure that the operational momentum is sustained to drive economic saboteurs out of business.

Folorunsho said that recently, personnel of NNS PATHFINDER deployed an Anti-Crude Oil Theft patrol teams to the Ndoni/Egbema general area of Rivers, where a major illegal refining site was uncovered at Umoku, Ndoni, comprising numerous dugout pits and locally fabricated refining ovens used for processing stolen crude oil.

He said assessment revealed that approximately 708,000 litres of illegally refined petroleum products, including Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), with about 310,000 litres of stolen crude oil were stored in the dugout pits.

“The products—estimated at over ₦1.06 billion for refined products and about ₦288 million for crude oil—were handled in accordance with extant operational procedures, while the perpetrators fled upon sighting the patrol team.”

The Naval spokesman stated that Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny, supported by the Nigerian Navy air assets, uncovered and deactivated multiple illegal crude oil storage sites within the Allison Community in Bonny Local Government Area.

According to him, the operation led to the recovery of approximately 231,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil—estimated at over ₦215 million—concealed in dugout pits and linked to the waterways through improvised distribution systems.

He said ecent operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL reinforce earlier gains recorded between January and March 2026, during which over 457,000 litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products were recovered—conservatively valued at over ₦600 million—alongside the deactivation of numerous illegal refining sites and logistics nodes across the Niger Delta.

“Complementing these inland successes, recent maritime interdictions further amplified the Nigerian Navy’s operational impact. Notably, the arrest of three vessels Motor Tankers MKPODU, WESTAF, and STELIOS K with over 900 metric tonnes of suspected stolen crude oil translates to approximately 1.04 million litres—estimated at over ₦967 million.”

Folorunsho added that the convergence of inland disruption and maritime interdiction emphasised a deliberate multi-domain operational strategy aimed at dismantling the entire crude oil theft value chain and protecting the nation’s vital oil and gas assets.