NMDPRA: Illegal Ogun refinery operated on over three hectares of land with 90,000-litre storage tank
NMDPRA: Illegal Ogun refinery operated on over three hectares of land with 90,000-litre storage tank
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says the illegal refinery recently uncovered in Ogere Remo, Ikenne LGA of Ogun state, had an underground storage tank with an estimated capacity of over 90,000 litres.
Atilola Akinyemi, the NMDPRA Ogun coordinator, spoke on Wednesday during a joint inspection of the facility by officials of the authority and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
On November 3, the anti-graft agency said its operatives had uncovered the illegal oil refinery allegedly operated by Chinese nationals.
Speaking on its operation, Akinyemi said the illegal plant occupied more than three hectares of land.
“We can identify the various components of the operation, including the areas where they receive their feedstock. The underground storage facility behind the site is estimated to have a capacity of more than 90,000 litres,” he said.
“We have also seen how they carry out the heating and processing of the materials using underground heating systems, as well as the water hydrants installed for cooling.
“It is clear that the people behind this operation are not ordinary individuals. They appear to be technically skilled people who have deliberately designed this facility to circumvent government regulations and operate outside the established regulatory framework.”
The state coordinator said intelligence gathering played a key role in uncovering the operation, adding that the facility was operating without regulatory approval.
“We received information about this operation, and we realised that it was important for us to be here personally. This kind of discovery cannot be made through ordinary monitoring alone; it requires intelligence gathering,” he said.
Akinyemi said the refinery did not meet the standards of a refinery and had no permit from any regulatory authority.
“This can be likened to the illegal refining activities that were prevalent in the Niger Delta during the 1990s and early 2000s. One question that comes to mind is: where do they source their feedstock?” he asked.
The NMDPRA coordinator said the facility contained underground storage tanks, locally fabricated tanks, separation silos, underground heating systems, and hydrants used for cooling.
Akinyemi cautioned against identifying the recovered products as diesel, also known as Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), saying laboratory tests were required to establish their actual composition.
He warned that allowing the products into the market could pose serious risks to vehicles and automobile engines.
The coordinator said all products and materials recovered from the facility have been confiscated and placed under the authority of the federal government, pending laboratory analysis and verification.
He said the NMDPRA would not tolerate illegal refining activities in Ogun, adding that the authority would continue to work with law enforcement agencies to uncover similar operations.
