The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has discovered a suspected illegal oil refinery allegedly run by Chinese nationals in Ogere, Ogun State.
The facility was uncovered on Saturday, October 31, 2026, during an operation by operatives of the commission’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2. The exercise followed intelligence reports and surveillance targeting individuals involved in the illegal refining of sludge oil.
The EFCC announced the discovery in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.
According to Oyewale, the premises had been abandoned by the time operatives arrived, following an earlier operation in which the commission shut down four illegal lithium processing plants in the area.
Despite the deserted state of the facility, officers found waste materials believed to have resulted from the refining process, as well as underground tanks suspected to have been used for heating and processing sludge oil.
The statement partly read, “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission uncovered an illegal oil refinery operated by Chinese in the Ogere area of Ogun State.
“The operation, conducted on Saturday, October 31, 2026, by operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, 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.”
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Oyewale added that two of the underground tanks inspected contained substances suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil, commonly known as diesel.
He said preliminary findings indicated that the operators obtained sludge oil, also called black sludge, from Warri in Delta State and Port Harcourt in Rivers State before moving it to the Ogere facility for processing.
Explaining the suspected refining method, the EFCC spokesperson said the sludge oil was exposed to intense heat, allowing lighter petroleum components to pass through chambers and filters. The process was believed to have been used to produce diesel for sale in the Nigerian market.
According to Oyewale, workers found at the facility told investigators that the Chinese operators had neither revealed their identities nor disclosed the name of the company behind the operation.
He said the EFCC had consequently taken control of the premises while investigations continued to determine who operated the refinery, identify its owners and establish the full scale of the suspected illegal activities.
“Consequently, operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC 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,” he added.