The Nigerian Navy has discovered a concealed stash of suspected illegally refined petroleum products and intercepted a vehicle allegedly part of an illicit fuel distribution network in Rivers State.

The director of Naval Information, Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho revealed this in an operational report on Monday in Abuja.

According to Mr Folorunsho, the operation was carried out by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Soroh under Operation Delta Sentinel in Rivers.

He said navy personnel deployed to the Okolomade Community axis of Abua-Odual Local Government Area acted on credible intelligence indicating the movement of suspected illegally refined products.

“During the operation, within the Orashi forest, the team intercepted a silver Toyota Camry suspected to be conveying illegally refined automotive gas oil (AGO),” he said.

According to him, a search of the vehicle led to the recovery of about 17 sacks containing suspected illegally refined diesel.

He also said that further exploitation of the area revealed additional concealed stockpiles hidden under thick vegetation at multiple locations within the forest.

“Subsequent ground searches resulted in the recovery of an additional 56 sacks of suspected illegally refined AGO strategically dispersed across the area.

“In total, the operation led to the recovery of 73 sacks containing approximately 63,290 litres of suspected illegally refined AGO, as well as the vehicle believed to have been used for transportation,” he said.

Mr Folorunsho said that the discovery highlighted the increasing use of forest corridors and concealed storage points by criminal elements seeking to move illegally refined petroleum products.

He added that the operation disrupted another critical link in the illicit value chain, moving petroleum products from remote locations into distribution channels.

He also revealed that the recovered products were handled in accordance with extant regulations, while the vehicle was secured for further necessary action.

The naval spokesperson reaffirmed the navy’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations under Operation Delta Sentinel to deny economic saboteurs freedom of action.

“The Nigerian Navy is committed to protecting Nigeria’s critical economic resources from criminal exploitation,” he added.

(NAN)