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The operation, conducted on August 20 by personnel of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) BONNY under Operation Delta Sentinel, followed actionable intelligence indicating suspected illegal crude oil storage activities around Allison Community, Abiodun Folorunsho, Captain, Nigerian Navy Director of Naval Information said in a press statement on Saturday.

According to him, naval personnel discovered 10 dugout pits believed to have been used in the illicit storage of crude oil during the operation. Five of the pits contained an estimated 93,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil, while the remaining five were filled with water. The operation also led to the discovery of a substantial quantity of hoses believed to have been used for the movement and transfer of crude oil.

Captain Folurunsho said that the recovered products, dugout pits and associated materials were subsequently handled in line with established operational procedures, adding that the intervention effectively disrupted the suspected illegal operation and denied those involved access to infrastructure and equipment needed to sustain crude oil theft. The latest operation highlights the Nigerian Navy's continuing efforts to dismantle the infrastructure that supports crude oil theft and illegal bunkering across the Niger Delta.

Official data indicate that Nigeria's crude-oil theft problem has declined substantially in recent years, although illegal bunkering remains widespread across the Niger Delta. Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) data show estimated oil theft falling from an average of 22,900 barrels per day in 2023 to 11,200 barrels per day in 2024, with the average at 10,180 barrels per day between January and August 2025.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Navy reported more than 580 anti-oil-theft operations between April and June 2026, during which it destroyed 58 illegal refining sites, dismantled 48 illegal storage facilities and deactivated 239 dugout pits, recovering 4.7 million litres of stolen petroleum products.

The service said its sustained operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL demonstrate its commitment to protecting critical national assets, securing Nigeria's oil and gas infrastructure and curbing activities that undermine the nation's economy, reaffirng its resolve to maintain operational pressure against networks involved in the illegal exploitation of Nigeria's natural resources and to deny economic saboteurs the freedom to operate within the nation's maritime environment.