The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has uncovered an illegal oil refinery operated by Chinese in the Ogere area of Ogun State.
The operation, conducted on Saturday, October 31, by operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the anti graft agency, followed credible intelligence and surveillance by the commission on the activities of the illegal sludge oil refiners.
The refinery was found deserted when EFCC operatives stormed the premises, following the commission’s earlier clampdown on four illegal lithium processing plants in the area.
However, waste products from the refining process were discovered at the location.
During the raid, underground tanks believed to have been used for heating and processing the sludge oil were also discovered.
Two of the underground tanks inspected contained substances suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), otherwise known as diesel.
Preliminary investigations also revealed that the operators sourced sludge oil, also known as black sludge, from Warri, Delta State, and Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and transported it to the illegal facility in Ogere for processing.
Further investigation revealed that the illegal operators subjected the sludge oil to intense heat, allowing lighter petroleum components to pass through a series of chambers and filters in a process believed to produce Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) for sale in the Nigerian market.
Security personnel at the facility told EFCC operatives that the Chinese operators neither disclosed their identities nor the name of the company behind the facility.
Consequently, the operatives of the commission have since taken over the premises as investigations continue to establish the identities of the operators, the ownership of the facility and the full extent of the suspected illegal activities and economic sabotage.
