
Commander of the Nigerian Navy’s Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Igbokoda, Navy Captain Aliyu Usman, has said that the personnel of the base has destroyed nine illegal refining sites and confiscated 20,000 litres of stolen crude oil and 15,000 litres of illegally refined diesel in Obenla, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
He stated that the operation was part of the Navy’s ongoing efforts to combat crude oil theft and illegal refining, adding that it was carried out on January 6, 2025, based on credible intelligence.
He said: “In continuation with the efforts of the Nigerian Navy to stop all acts of crude oil theft and illegal refining within the Nigerian environment, the Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, stormed into a farmhouse of illegal refining camp within Obenla community, where we discovered about nine illegal refining sites within the Obenla sea sites.
“On arrival at the scene, the perpetrators have fled, obviously informed about our coming in fear of arrest. “However, the entire area was crammed, and we discovered about 20,000 litres of stolen crude oil, which was yet to be cooked, and about 15,000 litres of illegally refined product suspected to be automatic gas oil (AGO), or diesel.
“This is yet another achievement for the Nigerian Navy in the efforts to clean up the environment and prevent all acts of illegalities by perpetrators against the Nigerian state.”