137 Oil Thieves Convicted as Navy Discovers Illegal Refinery in Rivers
The Federal Government’s Special Prosecution Team of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Theft has secured 137 convictions for petroleum theft-related offences since its establishment in 2025.
The disclosure came as the Nigerian Navy and the task force uncovered a 40,000-litre-capacity illegal crude oil refinery in a creek in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The facility was discovered on Friday during a joint operation following actionable intelligence coordinated through the Joint Intelligence Monitoring Team, comprising personnel from various security and intelligence agencies.
Speaking after the operation, the Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Bonny, Captain Stanley Umeh, described the facility as the largest illegal refinery discovered by his team since he assumed command in March 2026.
Umeh said the refinery, located deep inside the creeks, was still at the preparatory stage, with full-scale refining yet to commence.
He said the scale of the facility suggested that it was designed to process large quantities of stolen crude oil.
“This discovery is a product of long-time synergy between the base and other security agencies within the island and outside. It has been a product of actionable intelligence over time,” Umeh said.
He added that the facility was being prepared for the large-scale siphoning and processing of crude oil.
“This discovery is a plus to the fight against crude oil theft in Nigeria towards increasing crude oil production and sales in the country,” he said.
Umeh assured residents of Bonny that the Navy would sustain surveillance and patrol operations across the waterways and remote areas of the local government.
He said the Navy maintained a zero-tolerance posture towards crude oil theft and other forms of maritime criminality within the area, in line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s strategic directive.
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Meanwhile, the Head of Investigation of the Special Prosecution Team, CSP Omar John Sini, said the 137 convictions were secured by courts of competent jurisdiction since the team’s formation in 2025.
Sini attributed the Bonny operation to sustained intelligence-sharing and coordination among security, intelligence and law-enforcement agencies.
According to him, intelligence leading to the discovery was supplied by the Joint Intelligence Monitoring Team, led by Major General A.A. Idris under the supervision of the Chief of Defence Staff.
“Since inception to now, we’ve been able to secure at least 137 convictions, and that is largely responsible for the drop in illicit activities in the hydrocarbon sector,” Sini said.
He explained that while the intelligence team is responsible for gathering and coordinating actionable information, the Special Prosecution Team focuses on investigation and prosecution of suspected offenders.
Sini said the agencies deployed relevant technology to identify and track the location after intelligence indicated the existence of the facility.
He stressed the importance of preventive law enforcement, saying the objective was to detect and disrupt criminal activities before they became fully operational.
Sini further disclosed that three suspects allegedly linked to the financing of the illegal refinery had been arrested and were in custody.
He said the suspects had invested millions of naira in establishing the facility before security agencies disrupted the operation.
According to him, the facility would be dealt with in accordance with extant laws, while the suspects would face prosecution.
He added that the prosecution team would continue to pursue convictions that impose appropriate legal consequences and serve as a deterrent to petroleum theft and related offences.
The discovery comes amid intensified inter-agency efforts to disrupt crude oil theft, illegal refining and other activities contributing to losses in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
