The Nigerian Navy has recovered over 7.48 million litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products from November 2025 till date.

This is contained in a media kit released by the Naval Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.

The navy credited the recovery to the activation and implementation of Operation DELTA SENTINEL in the last year under the leadership of the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Idi Abbas.

According to the statistics, the service deactivated 168 illegal refining sites and destroyed 363 dugout pits.

It also said that the service arrested 259 suspects and seized four vessels suspected of being involved in crude oil theft.

It added that the navy successfully secured convictions for nine arrested for oil theft and pipeline vandalism while also strengthening regional maritime cooperation through exercises including OBANGAME EXPRESS 2026, COASTAL GRIP 2, GRAND AFRICAN NEMO 2026 and CROCODILE LIFT.

It also highlighted the operationalisation of the Combined Maritime Task Force for the Gulf of Guinea during the service’s 70th anniversary celebrations in June 2026.

“The service also inaugurated three high-speed patrol vessels NNS OLOIBIRI, NNS MAMBILA and NNS GURARA, in June 2026 to enhance maritime surveillance, operational reach and response capabilities.

“These achievements reflect the navy’s continued commitment to securing Nigeria’s maritime domain, protecting critical national assets and contributing to national security and economic prosperity,” it said.

(NAN)