Key Points

• Troops dismantled illegal refinery sites worth ₦98 million in crude and products.

• Over 44 suspects arrested in Delta and Rivers operations.

• Crackdown on illegal refinery sites aims to curb oil theft and boost national revenue.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says that its military forces have destroyed seven illegal refinery sites and stopped the flow of stolen crude and refined petroleum products worth more than ₦98 million. The raids are part of a nationwide effort to stop oil theft and economic sabotage in the Niger Delta region.

Major General Edward Buba, the DHQ Director of Defence Media Operations, said at a meeting in Abuja that operations that took place between October 9 and October 12, 2025, took place in Delta State and Rivers State hotspots.

Under Operation Delta Safe, the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force worked together to find several hidden refining sites that were being used to steal crude oil and refine it on the black market.

Key raids took out illegal refinery sites

Major General Buba says that raids happened in Delta State’s Warri South, Ughelli South, Ethiope East, and Okpe local government areas, as well as in Rivers State’s Ahoada East and Toru.

Security teams took apart 11 cooking ovens, 7 dug-out pits, 14 storage tanks, and a number of boats that were used to move stolen oil. During the operations, police arrested 44 people who were suspected of being involved. The recovery included 92,500 litres of stolen crude oil, 1,575 litres of diesel (AGO), 660 litres of kerosene (DPK) and 5,000 litres of petrol (PMS).

Major General Buba said the plan was not only to shut down oil refining sites, but also to “break the infrastructure of the criminal networks that support oil theft in the region.”

The crackdown on illegal refinery sites sends a strong message

The main point of this story is that destroying illegal refinery sites directly weakens the oil-theft networks that have long stolen Nigeria’s oil revenues. In August 2024, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the head of the Nigerian Navy, said that more surveillance and enforcement had helped Nigeria’s output rise back to 1.6–1.7 million barrels per day. Ogalla said, “We have 12 naval ships on duty and we are stopping ships that are doing illegal things.”

According to a report by Vanguard news, Uche Igwe, a senior political economy analyst at the London School of Economics and an expert on security, said that the crackdown shows “progress,” but that the real challenge will be to keep up the work and deal with the local incentives that drive refining. Igwe said, “We can take down a few sites, but these operations will just adapt unless we deal with the root causes.”

What the crackdown means for Nigeria’s oil industry

The message for Nigeria’s oil industry is clear: the government is stepping up its efforts to protect pipelines, installations, and national production. Every destroyed site makes it harder to steal and makes the state stronger when it comes to protecting its resources. Analysts say that better results could boost investor confidence and help foreign exchange earnings.

The problem is still very big, though. There are hundreds of illegal refining camps in the Niger Delta, so getting rid of seven of them is a good start, but it’s not the whole solution. Uche Igwe said that success will depend on the continued cooperation of security forces, community members, and institutions in the oil industry.