The Nigerian Navy has arrested 259 suspected oil thieves and shut down 168 illegal refining sites in the past year, as it marked one year under its current chief, the service has said.

The figures, released by Naval Headquarters in Abuja, cover the period from November 2025 to November 2026. The Navy said it also destroyed 363 dugout pits used in illegal refining, seized four vessels suspected of involvement in crude oil theft, and secured nine convictions for offences relating to crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, the Director of Naval Information, said the service recovered more than 7.48 million litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products over the year. The statement marked the first year in office of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas.

“A major operational initiative was the activation of Operation Delta Sentinel in January 2026 to strengthen efforts against crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other maritime crimes,” Folorunsho said. The operation, named Delta Sentinel, has been the Navy’s main framework for tackling theft in the Niger Delta creeks and the Gulf of Guinea.

The Navy also said it sustained Nigeria’s zero-piracy status throughout the year, meaning no successful pirate attack was recorded in Nigerian waters during the period. The claim matters for shipping and for insurers, because piracy in the Gulf of Guinea once pushed up the cost of moving cargo through the region.

Alongside the anti-theft campaign, the service commissioned three high-speed patrol vessels in June 2026 — NNS Oloibiri, NNS Mambila and NNS Gurara — to improve surveillance and response at sea. It said it also completed more than 36 infrastructure projects, including accommodation, medical and office facilities, and began work on a 200-bed reference hospital at Navy Town in Abuja.

The Navy said its community projects under the Chief of the Naval Staff’s special intervention programme included 18 solar-powered boreholes, the renovation of 11 school buildings, the construction and equipping of 11 healthcare centres, and electricity infrastructure in three communities.

On personnel, the service said it graduated and inducted its first batch of 328 Nigerian Navy Marines, who have been deployed to reinforce operations, including against asymmetric threats in northern Nigeria, while training for a second batch continues.

The Navy also pointed to its role in regional maritime exercises during the year, including Obangame Express 2026, Coastal Grip 2, Grand African Nemo 2026 and Crocodile Lift, and said it helped operationalise the Combined Maritime Task Force for the Gulf of Guinea during its 70th anniversary celebrations in June 2026.

Crude oil theft has long drained Nigeria’s public finances, with stolen crude siphoned from pipelines and refined in makeshift sites across the Delta. The Navy said the latest results showed its continued commitment to securing Nigeria’s maritime domain and protecting critical national assets.

Source: Nuus and Spear News.