Navy Dismantles Illegal Refinery, Recovers 350 Litres of AGO in Rivers
The Nigerian Navy has foiled an attempt to reactivate an illegal refining site in Rivers State, recovering about 350 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) in the process.
The operation, conducted by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH on September 6, 2026, followed credible intelligence on the planned resumption of illegal refining activities in the Okolomade general area of Abua/Odual Local Government Area of the state.
According to a statement by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, suspected operators fled upon sighting the naval team, abandoning the illegally refined AGO and two wheelbarrows allegedly used to transport the product.
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In a related operation, the naval base revisited a previously disrupted illegal refining site in the Ogbogolo area, where personnel rendered remaining metallic ovens, storage tanks and other associated infrastructure unusable.
The Navy said the action was aimed at preventing criminal operators from exploiting the abandoned facilities to resume illegal refining activities.
The interventions, according to the statement, reflect an operational shift from merely disrupting illegal refining operations to systematically denying criminal networks access to infrastructure needed to repeatedly revive their activities.
The Navy said the approach was intended to weaken the resilience of illicit petroleum-refining networks and sustain pressure on illegal oil-related activities in the area.
By PRNigeria
