The Nigerian navy’s sustained offensive operation successes in the second quarter of 2026 has aided Nigeria’s crude oil production reach 1,735 million barrels per day in June.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) announced that the 1.735 million barrels per day represented 104 per cent of Nigeria’s Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC) quota.

The Director of Naval Information, Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho, in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said that the feat was the highest crude oil output recorded since April 2020.

According to Mr Folorunsho, the offensive against crude oil theft, illegal refining, pipeline vandalism, militancy and other forms of economic sabotage in the Niger Delta under Operation DELTA SENTINEL was intensified to consolidate first quarter gains.

He stated, “Since April 2026, the Nigerian navy has conducted over 580 intelligence-driven operations across Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Cross River, and Lagos State.

“These operations have resulted in the recovery of over 4.7 million litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products, as well as the arrest of over 91 suspects involved in crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, militancy and related crimes.

“It also led to the dismantling of over 48 illegal refining sites, interception of multiple vessels engaged in crude oil theft, and the destruction of criminal logistics networks supporting economic sabotage.”

Mr Folorunsho said that one of the major operational successes recorded was the arrest of the motor tankers MKPODU, WESTAF, and STELIOS K, linked to the theft of more than 900 metric tonnes of suspected stolen crude oil.

He said that it resulted in the recovery of over 708,000 litres of illegally refined products and 310,000 litres of stolen crude oil from a single illegal refining site in Ndoni, Rivers State.

“It also facilitated numerous intelligence-led operations that dismantled reactivated refining sites, intercepted illicit fuel consignments and prevented criminal syndicates from restoring illegal production capacity across the Niger Delta,” he said.

According to him, coordinated riverine operations led to the deactivation of scores of illegal refining sites, reservoirs, dugout pits, storage facilities, warehouses, concealed fuel caches, pipeline connections and militant hideouts.

The director of naval information added that the operations exposed a growing trend of criminal syndicates attempting to reactivate previously dismantled refining camps, prompting sustained follow-up operations.

He said the follow-ups prevented the regeneration of illegal refining ecosystems and progressively disrupted the economic viability of crude oil theft networks.

“The Nigerian navy notes that these sustained operational gains coincide with the recent announcement by the NUPRC of increased crude oil production, exceeding the OPEC production quota.

“This indicates improved security around critical oil and gas infrastructure and the collective efforts of security agencies in fighting crude oil theft.

“Persistent naval presence across the Niger Delta waterways has denied economic saboteurs freedom of action, disrupted illicit petroleum supply chains, and enhanced the integrity of critical oil and gas infrastructure,” he said.

The naval spokesperson reaffirmed the navy’s commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime domain, protecting vital national assets, and enhancing oil production to support the Federal Government’s goal of reaching 2.5 million barrels per day by 2027.

He noted that the service would continue to conduct intelligence-led operations and strengthen inter-agency cooperation to further degrade oil theft networks within the Nigerian maritime environment in line with the vision of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas.

(NAN)