… says illegal refiners use drums for refining stolen crude, gaining tactical advantage with easy dismantling

Oredola Adeola

The Nigerian Navy Ship PATHFINDER has dismantled a large-scale illegal crude oil refining site along the Ogoloma-Isaka River in Rivers State, capable of producing 2 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) daily, equivalent to 64 trucks with a 31,000-litre capacity each.

Advisors Reports, in a statement released following the raid on the site by Commodore Cajethan Aniaku, Commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship PATHFINDER, confirmed the discovery of a large illegal oil refining site in Rivers State on August 17, 2024.

Commodore Cajethan Aniaku confirmed that his team discovered and destroyed over 500 drums containing more than 1 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) after a sustained intelligence and surveillance effort.

He added that the operators of the illegal refining site were found to be using drums to refine stolen crude oil into AGO and other byproducts—a tactic that provides the oil thieves with a tactical advantage due to the ease of construction and dismantling of the drums.

The Commander of the NNS PATHFINDER stated, “In line with the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla’s directive to clear illegal refining sites within the NNS PATHFINDER area of operations, we recently conducted a raid in the Ogoloma area, where we discovered a massive illegal refining site. Our personnel, equipped with swamp buggies, moved in and uncovered a significant operation.

“What we found was quite revealing and striking. The oil thieves have shifted from the traditional use of metal frail pans to cook and refine stolen crude oil into AGO and other byproducts. Instead, they are now using drums, which are not only cheaper to construct but also very easy to dismantle, making detection more challenging,” he said.

Commodore Aniaku emphasised that this shift in tactics by the oil thieves has complicated efforts to detect and disrupt their operations.