The Nigerian Navy has dismantled an illegal refinery along the Isaka/Ogoloma River in Rivers State capable of producing over two million litres of automotive gasoline oil (AGO) daily.
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.
