The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has busted an illegal oil refinery operated by Chinese nationals in Ogere, Ogun State.
The operation was carried out on Saturday, October 31, by operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 following credible intelligence and surveillance, the agency said in a statement
“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,” the EFCC added.
It said: “However, waste products from the refining process were discovered at the location.
According to the agency, operatives also discovered underground tanks believed to have been used for heating and processing sludge oil.
Two of the tanks, it said, contained substance suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, also known as diesel.
“Preliminary investigations 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,” the Commission said.
It stated that the sludge was subjected to intense heat, allowing lighter components to pass through chambers and filters to produce AGO for sale in the Nigerian market.
It disclosed that security personnel at the facility told operatives that the Chinese operators never disclosed their identities nor the name of the company behind it.
The operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC have since taken over the premises as investigations continue.