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Re-establishment of illegal Rivers refining activities disrupted amid fuel quality concerns – EnviroNews
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The Nigerian Navy has frustrated renewed attempts by economic saboteurs to re-establish illegal refining operations in Rivers State.
This is contained in an operational report by the Director of Naval Information, Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho, on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Abuja.
According to Folorunsho, the operation was carried out by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder under Operation Delta Sentinel.
“Acting on credible intelligence, Navy personnel conducted a targeted anti-crude oil theft operation around the Oseokishikpa axis of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State,” he said.
He revealed that during the operation, naval personnel uncovered two illegal refining sites comprising eight dugout pits and reservoirs containing approximately 15,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and 105,000 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
The Naval spokesperson said the discovery is particularly significant as it highlighted ongoing attempts by criminal elements to reactivate illegal refining infrastructure previously dismantled by security forces within the same area.
“The operation, therefore, not only disrupted illicit activities but also prevented the re-establishment of a refining network capable of sustaining crude oil theft and environmental degradation,” he said.
He also said the illegal refining sites and recovered products were handled in accordance with extant anti-crude oil theft procedures, denying economic saboteurs access to resources intended to support their criminal enterprise.
He reaffirmed the navy’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL to dismantle crude oil theft networks, protect critical national infrastructure, and safeguard Nigeria’s economic interests in the Niger Delta.
In a related development, some motorists in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have continued to allege that the fuel presently being sold by some fuel stations is of poor quality.
According to them, the development has caused some level of damage to their car engines’.
The motorists, in Lugbe, Dutse, Gwarimpa, Bwari, Mararaba, spoke in Abuja on Sunday.
Mrs. Doris Chinazor, who resides in Dutse, said that the product burns very fast as it does not last long.
“I live in Dutse, if I buy N15,000 fuel in my car, it does not take me to and back from my place of work in the city centre.
She urged relevant authorities to intensify monitoring of petroleum products to ensure that only quality fuel was sold to consumers.
Another commercial driver in Lugbe, Mr. Moses Ugwu, said that the fuel in the market burns faster.
He called on regulators to carry out routine checks on filling stations to ensure that motorists got value for their money.
Mr. James Oguntade of Mararaba said he had experienced situations where his vehicle consumed more fuel shortly after refueling.
“When I filled up my car thinking it will last for a few days, but the fuel finisheed faster than usual, it is becoming worrisome,” he said.
A trader in Gwarimpa, Mrs. Ada Okafor, said that before the oil subsidy removal, the fuel sold was of high quality and does not burn fast.
“I can remember before now, we got value for our money, but now the situation is different.
“We now buy fuel at expensive costs and don’t get the value for our money,” she said.
She urged the Federal Government and relevent authorities to look into the issue critically.
“We are suffering in silence, we are pained, transportation is on the high side, among others,” she said.
The Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) had pledged to investigate allegations of fuel quantity and irregularities at retail filling stations in Abuja.
Mr. George Ene-Ita, an official of NMDPRA, said the agency operates an on-field surveillance framework designed to detect anomalies in fuel dispensing across retail outlets.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mr. Chinedu Ukadike, explained that the cost of fuel and the value derived from fuel were not the same thing.
He said the value of fuel was determined by how much a vehicle consumes and the distance it could cover.
“In the past, someone could spend ₦50,000 to fill a vehicle’s fuel tank. If the vehicle was in good condition, it could take the person from Abuja to Enugu depending on the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
“Today, however, fuel prices have increased significantly. A litre of PMS may cost between ₦1,340 and ₦1,370, depending on the location and filling station.
“At today’s prices, ₦50,000 may only buy around 36 litres instead of 50 litres. The distance that can be covered with 36 litres is obviously less than the distance that could be covered with 50 litres.
“The cost of fuel is no longer equivalent to the value motorists previously enjoyed. The higher the price of fuel, the fewer litres consumers can purchase with the same amount of money.
“This is why many motorists complain that ₦50,000 worth of fuel now lasts only a few days. The issue is not that the fuel disappears faster; it is that ₦50,000 now buys fewer litres than before.
“The volume has reduced because the price has increased. Therefore, motorists who say that ₦50,000 worth of fuel no longer takes them as far as it used to are correct.
“At current prices, ₦50,000 buys significantly less fuel than it did previously,” he said.
By Kennedy Sheyin and Adeola Akinbobola