The Nigerian Navy has welcomed the conviction and sentencing of nine persons by the Federal High Court in Uyo for crude oil theft, describing the ruling as an important development in the campaign against economic sabotage.
The court sentenced the nine convicts to five years’ imprisonment on one count and 10 years on another, without the option of a fine.
According to the Navy, the individuals were arrested on February 7 during an intelligence-led operation under Operation DELTA SENTINEL.
The service said they were apprehended while stealing crude oil from the ASABO-D wellhead in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Director of Naval Information Abiodun Folorunsho said the outcome demonstrated the importance of cooperation among security agencies, prosecutors and the judiciary.
The Navy said enforcement operations would have greater deterrent value when arrests lead to timely prosecution and conviction.
Operation DELTA SENTINEL, launched in January 2026, is the Navy’s intensified campaign against crude oil theft, illegal refining and related economic crimes in the Niger Delta.
The Navy said the operation had dismantled more than 241 illegal refining sites, disrupted criminal networks, recovered more than 6.44 million litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined products, and led to the arrest of more than 230 suspects.
Those operational figures are claims by the service and reflect its account of the anti-oil-theft campaign.
The Navy said the strategy was based on intelligence-driven surveillance, targeted interdictions and sustained presence across waterways and oil-producing areas.
It attributed the recent operational tempo to the priorities of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, particularly intelligence-led operations, inter-agency cooperation and improved maritime-domain awareness.
The service also linked the anti-theft campaign to the federal government’s objective of increasing crude oil production to 2.5 million barrels per day by 2027.
The Navy commended the Department of State Services for its role in the case and called for faster adjudication of other pending crude oil theft prosecutions.
It also urged host communities to provide credible information on criminal activities affecting oil and gas infrastructure.
The service said sustained pressure on oil theft would require cooperation across the entire justice chain, from intelligence gathering and arrest to prosecution and conviction.
