The Nigerian Navy has dismantled a criminal extortion syndicate operating in the Bonny Creeks of Rivers State and rescued fishermen and commuters who were held captive by the network.
The operation was carried out by personnel of the Forward Operating Base, FOB Bonny, under Operation DELTA SENTINEL. Naval authorities said the raid followed intelligence reports of illegal activities around the Promise Land area in Bonny Local Government Area.
According to the Navy, an Anti-Crude Oil Theft patrol team conducted a coordinated reconnaissance across adjoining creeks and waterways. Aerial surveillance uncovered concealed refining equipment hidden beneath dense vegetation. A ground assessment later confirmed the presence of two newly constructed illegal refining sites close to the river channel.
The sites contained improvised cooking pots, interconnected pipe networks and other support infrastructure believed to have been prepared for processing and transporting illegally refined petroleum products. Naval officials said the operators were still in the early stages of setting up the camps before the operation disrupted them.
The Navy said the refining sites were dismantled in line with operational procedures and the location has been placed under continued monitoring for follow-up surveillance. The action reflects the Navy’s focus on proactive disruption of illegal infrastructure before criminal networks fully establish capacity.
In a separate but related operation, personnel of FOB Bonny rescued Mr Benedict Eze, who was abducted on 23 March 2026 in Aganya Community, Bonny LGA.
He was recovered at Coconut Jetty after his captors abandoned him near the Opuoma waterside due to intensified intelligence-led patrols. He was evacuated to the Naval Base medical facility for evaluation and debriefing before being reunited with his family.
Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said the successes underscore the Navy’s commitment to denying criminal elements freedom of operation on Nigeria’s waterways. “The Nigerian Navy’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling crude oil theft networks, denying criminal elements freedom of operation on Nigeria’s waterways and protecting the nation’s critical economic assets,” he said.
Folorunsho added that the operations combine intelligence gathering, waterborne patrols and aerial surveillance to disrupt criminal networks responsible for economic sabotage and protect Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure.
He reaffirmed that patrols and surveillance in the Bonny–Port Harcourt waterways and adjoining creeks will continue to protect lives and property and ensure perpetrators face justice.
