NAF Air Operations Drive Up Oil Output,Curb Economic Sabotage In Niger Delta

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), through the Air Component of Operation DELTA SAFE (AC OPDS), has intensified efforts to safeguard the nation’s energy infrastructure, in line with the directive of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar.

Operating from the 115 Special Operations Group in Port Harcourt, daily sorties have denied saboteurs access to pipelines, illegal refineries and logistics hubs, significantly reducing economic sabotage in the Niger Delta.

According to a statement on Friday, between May and August 2025, sustained Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Armed Reconnaissance and Pipeline Patrol missions across Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states resulted in the destruction of dozens of illegal refining facilities, militant camps, cooking tanks and reservoirs.

These proactive air operations have not only degraded criminal capacity but also reinforced deterrence, making oil theft riskier and less profitable for saboteurs.

These security gains have coincided with a measurable rebound in oil output. In July 2025, national production averaged 1.71 million barrels per day, including condensates, with crude oil alone at 1.51 million barrels per day. Mission records between May and July detail 117 missions, 189 sorties and 192 flight hours, consuming over 60,000 litres of Jet A-1 fuel and dismantling critical illegal refining infrastructure.

The NAF reaffirms its commitment to sustaining these gains, stabilising the Niger Delta and ensuring that Nigeria’s oil lifelines remain secure.