Security operatives have dealt another heavy blow to illegal oil bunkering activities in Rivers State after troops uncovered a suspected illegal refinery and recovered a massive quantity of crude oil believed to have been stolen.
The operation, carried out by troops of the 29 Battalion under the Joint Task Force South-South, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), reportedly took place in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, where military personnel uncovered a hidden refining site allegedly used for illicit crude processing.
According to reports shared on Thursday by security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, the discovery was made during an intensified crackdown on oil theft and illegal bunkering activities across the Niger Delta.
Sources disclosed that the troops made the shocking discovery around 10:00 a.m. on May 12, 2026, during a routine anti-bunkering patrol in the region. The illegal refining site was reportedly located near the Asa community, where security operatives stumbled upon a large cooking pot allegedly being used for crude processing.
Authorities revealed that approximately 600 litres of suspected stolen crude oil were recovered at the site. The substance was reportedly stored in sacks and linked to illegal refining operations believed to fuel black-market petroleum activities in the area.
Military officials also confirmed that all recovered materials and equipment were secured and processed according to operational guidelines established under Operation Delta Safe, which continues to target economic sabotage and environmental crimes in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
Interestingly, the operation was completed without any resistance, confrontation, or security breach, as no suspects were reportedly present during the raid.
The Nigerian military has in recent months intensified efforts to dismantle illegal refineries, combat crude oil theft, and protect national assets, as authorities continue their battle against economic sabotage threatening the country’s oil sector.
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