Illegal oil refinery sealed in Nigeria’s Ogun State
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Trust
Nigeria’s hydrocarbons regulator and the financial crimes commission have shut down an illegal refinery covering more than three hectares in Ogere-Remo, Ogun State. The facility, which reportedly had underground storage capacity of more than 90,000 litres, was operating without authorisation, according to the oil authority’s regional coordinator, quoted by Daily Trust.
Nigerian authorities sealed an illegal oil refinery on Wednesday 4 November in Ogere-Remo, in Ikenne Local Government Area, Ogun State. The operation was carried out by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigeria’s regulator for the midstream and downstream petroleum sectors, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Daily Trust reports.
The site, associated with Chinese operators, covers more than three hectares and includes underground tanks, heating systems, locally fabricated tanks and cooling equipment. An underground storage facility is estimated to have a capacity of more than 90,000 litres. Investigators found products from the processing of sludge and refining waste, as well as substances suspected to be diesel.
NMDPRA regional coordinator Atilola Akinyemi said the facility was operating without a licence and that its final product could be classified as diesel only after laboratory tests. Bawa Usman Kaltungo, EFCC zonal director in Lagos, said the site appeared to have been operating for several years. He also said 14 Chinese nationals had been arrested a week earlier in the same area for illegal lithium processing.
The operation follows the discovery of an illegal refinery linked to Chinese operators in Nigeria, announced on 3 November. The authorities have promised to prosecute those responsible for the facility.
