The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on illegal oil refining in Rivers State, recovering approximately 33,000 litres of products suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) from two illegal refining sites in Egbema-Ndoni Local Council.

The Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folarunsho, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the operation was carried out by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER on September 6.

According to him, the 33,000 litres recovered represented the suspected illegally refined AGO found at the two sites uncovered during the operation.

The naval team also discovered eight dugout pits, sacks and reservoirs believed to be associated with the illegal refining activities.

Folarunsho said the sites and recovered products were subsequently handled in accordance with established procedures.

The operation, he said, was part of the Navy’s sustained efforts to prevent illegal refining operators from returning to areas where their activities had previously been disrupted.

He recalled that the Navy had on August 28 disrupted two illegal refining sites in the same area, adding that the latest operation demonstrated the continued pressure being mounted on operators attempting to revive their activities.

Despite the repeated interventions, suspected operators were said to have attempted to re-establish their operations before the latest raid.

However, they fled before the arrival of the naval team, escaping arrest and leaving behind the products and materials found at the sites.

Folarunsho said the continued naval operations were constraining the ability of illegal refiners to re-establish and sustain their activities in the area.

The latest recovery adds to the Navy’s ongoing efforts to disrupt illegal refining and crude oil-related activities in the Niger Delta, where illicit refining remains a persistent challenge.

No arrest was made during the operation