The Nigerian Navy has announced a significant breakthrough under Operation Delta Sentinel, successfully locating an underground fuel storage site and intercepting a vehicle linked to an illegal distribution network in Rivers State. Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, the Director of Naval Information, stated that personnel from NNS Soroh acted on specific intelligence regarding the transport of illicit petroleum products within the Orashi Forest area of the Abua-Odual Local Government Area.
During the mission, officials stopped a silver Toyota Camry that was found to be transporting 17 sacks of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO). A detailed sweep of the surrounding dense vegetation uncovered 56 additional sacks cached throughout the forest. In total, the Navy recovered 73 sacks holding approximately 63,290 litres of fuel along with the transport vehicle.
This operation effectively blocked a major segment of an underground supply chain. The Navy noted that criminals are increasingly using remote forest corridors to hide and move illicit products toward mainstream distribution. Authorities have secured the recovered materials and the vehicle for processing in line with official protocols.