For the first time in years, Nigeria’s crude oil output exceeded its OPEC quota as the Nigerian Navy stepped up its campaign against crude oil theft and illegal refining under Operation Delta Sentinel.
The Navy recovered over 4.698 million litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products in the second quarter of 2026.
Director Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho said in a statement that the operation intensified intelligence-driven operations between April and June 2026 after the successful conclusion of the first quarter of the operation to consolidate gains and sustain pressure on criminal networks operating within the country’s maritime environment.
He said the renewed operational tempo coincided with the announcement by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), that Nigeria’s crude oil production rose to 1.735 million barrels per day in June 2026, representing 104 per cent of the country’s OPEC production quota and the highest production level recorded since April 2020.
“It carried out over 580 intelligence-led operations in Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Cross River and Lagos States within the period,” Folorunsho said.
“The operations resulted in the recovery of over 4.698 million litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products, the arrest of over 91 suspects involved in crude oil theft and related crimes, and the dismantling of over 48 illegal refining sites,” he disclosed.
It also intercepted several vessels associated with crude oil theft and wiped out criminal logistics networks aiding economic sabotage.
Breakthroughs recorded included the arrest of motor tankers MKPODU, WESTAF and STELIOS K, allegedly linked to the theft of over 900 metric tonnes of suspected stolen crude oil.
Read Also: Xenophobia: Reps Probe Losses Suffered by Nigerians in South Africa
More than 708,000 liters of illegally refined petroleum products and 310,000 liters of stolen crude oil were recovered by the Navy from an illegal refining site in Ndoni, Rivers State.
He said that coordinated riverine operations destroyed illegal refining camps, reservoirs, storage facilities, dugout pits, concealed fuel caches, illegal pipeline connections and militant hideouts.
He also said criminal syndicates had tried to reactivate refining sites that had been shut down, but said sustained follow-up operations successfully prevented the re-establishment of illegal refining activities and further degraded crude oil theft networks.
“The ongoing operational successes are helping to improve security around critical oil and gas infrastructure, which has helped Nigeria beat its OPEC production quota,” he said.
He reaffirmed the Navy’s resolve to protect the country’s maritime domain and critical national assets in support of the Federal Government’s goal of increasing crude oil production to 2.5 million barrels per day by 2027.
He further stated that “it would continue intelligence-led operations and strengthen inter-agency collaboration to further dismantle crude oil theft networks in line with the vision of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas”
