The Nigerian Navy says it recovered more than 2.25 million litres of petroleum products and rescued 24 kidnapped persons during operations against crude oil theft and other maritime crimes between July and September 2026.
The Navy also said it arrested more than 70 suspects, seized four vessels and five boats, and destroyed 14 boats linked to crude oil theft during the third quarter of the year.
The Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a press release dated October 14, 2026.
He said the achievements were recorded under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, an ongoing campaign against crude oil theft, illegal refining, pipeline vandalism, maritime crime and other forms of economic sabotage.
According to the statement, the recovered products included 1,555,983 litres of suspected stolen crude oil, 595,470 litres of Automotive Gas Oil, 85,690 litres of Premium Motor Spirit and 15,774 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene.
The Navy also deactivated more than 88 illegal refining sites, 363 dugout pits, 20 reservoirs and 80 storage tanks, while destroying eight refining ovens.
Other items recovered from suspected criminals included eight engines, four arms, more than 100 rounds of ammunition and seven vehicles or trucks.
The statement added that the operations disrupted the infrastructure and logistics used by criminal networks to steal, process, store and transport illegally sourced petroleum products.
Reviewing its performance in the first half of 2026, the Navy said it conducted more than 183 operations in the first quarter, recovering over 531,500 litres of illegally refined petroleum products and arresting 18 suspects.
In the second quarter, it conducted more than 580 intelligence-driven operations, recovering over 4.698 million litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products, arresting more than 91 suspects and dismantling over 48 illegal refining sites.
Since Operation DELTA SENTINEL began in January 2026, the Navy said it had disrupted more than 241 illegal refining networks and sites, recovered over 7.482 million litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products, and arrested more than 230 suspects.
The Navy attributed part of the improvement in Nigeria’s crude oil export earnings to sustained efforts by security agencies and other stakeholders to curb oil theft and protect critical oil and gas infrastructure.
Citing provisional Balance of Payments statistics released by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the statement said crude oil export earnings increased from $8.11 billion in the first quarter of 2026 to $9.39 billion in the second quarter, representing a 15.78 per cent rise.
The Navy also stressed the need for swift investigations and diligent prosecution of suspects arrested for crude oil theft, illegal refining and economic sabotage.
It cited the recent conviction of nine crude oil thieves by the Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, as an example of the judicial outcomes needed to strengthen deterrence.
The statement said the Navy, under the strategic direction of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, would sustain intelligence-led operations and strengthen cooperation with host communities and other stakeholders to combat crude oil theft and protect national assets.
