An illegal refinery capable of producing over two million litres of automotive gasoline oil (AGO) daily, has been uncovered by the  Nigerian Navy, along the Isaka/Ogoloma River in Rivers State.

The operation, carried out by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, involved the destruction of more than 500 crude oil cooking drums using a swamp buggy, following the directive of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, to eradicate oil theft and illegal refining activities in the Niger Delta.

The illegal refinery, which had a pipeline connected to a nearby oil wellhead operated by Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, was used by suspected oil thieves to siphon crude oil for refining.

The site was uncovered after extensive intelligence and surveillance efforts by the Navy.

Commander of NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Cajethan Nnabuchi Aniaku, explained that the oil thieves employed a new tactic by using drums to refine stolen crude oil into AGO and other by-products.

This method provided an advantage due to the drums’ ease of construction and dismantling. The ongoing operation has so far destroyed over 500 drums, as well as numerous dug-out pits and ovens, all capable of producing over "two hundred million square od AGO (fuel) daily".

 Commodore Aniaku warned those involved in illegal refining activities, emphasizing that the Navy remains committed to protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure.

He said: "In line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s directive to clear all illegal refining sites, we discovered a massive illegal refining site in the Ogoloma area.

"Our personnel moved in with a swamp buggy and found that the oil thieves had shifted from using large metal pans to drums, which are cheaper and easier to hide.

“This operation is ongoing, and we will not relent in our efforts to destroy these illegal sites.”