Operatives of the Nigerian Navy (NN) have arrested six suspected oil thieves, recovered stolen crude and destroyed illegal refining sites in Bayelsa State.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Director of Naval Information (DINFO) Commodore Aiwiyor Adams-Aliu detailed the successes of the operations conducted between August 29 and September 2. These actions were part of Operation Delta Sanity, a focused effort to address maritime crime.
On August 31, the Navy arrested the six suspects who were found with 109 sacks of illegally refined petroleum products along the Ogboinbiri-Kasama-Azama-Isoni route. Additionally, four fiber boats and two wooden boats were confiscated on the same day. Earlier, on August 29, seven large Cotonou boats and two fiber boats, which were used by armed criminals to transport crude oil from an illegal point around the Botokiri axis in Nembe Local Government Area, were seized.
Further operations yielded results on September 1, when two wooden boats and 328 sacks of illegally refined Automated Gas Oil were seized at the riverbank of Otuogori community in Yenagoa. The following day, September 2, another 35 sacks of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil in a wooden boat were confiscated in the Gbaraun area of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
According to Adams-Aliu, these actions underscore the effectiveness of Operation Delta Sanity and reflect the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to eradicating crude oil theft and improving the security of Nigeria’s maritime environment.
