The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has uncovered a suspected illegal oil refinery in Ogere, Ogun State, allegedly operated by Chinese nationals.
The facility was discovered on Saturday, October 31, 2026, by operatives of the commission’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 following intelligence gathering and surveillance targeting illegal sludge oil processing activities.
The EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, announced the discovery in a statement issued on Tuesday.
He said the refinery was deserted when operatives arrived, following an earlier operation in which the commission shut down four illegal lithium processing plants in the area.
Although no operators were found at the site, investigators recovered waste materials believed to have come from the refining process, as well as underground tanks suspected to have been used to heat and process sludge oil.
Two of the tanks inspected contained substances suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil, commonly known as diesel.
Preliminary findings indicated that the operators obtained black sludge oil from Warri in Delta State and Port Harcourt in Rivers State before transporting it to the Ogere facility for processing.
According to the EFCC, the material was subjected to intense heat, allowing lighter petroleum components to pass through a series of chambers and filters in a process believed to produce diesel for sale in the Nigerian market.
Oyewale said workers at the facility told investigators that the Chinese operators had not revealed their identities or the name of the company responsible for running the refinery.
The commission has since taken control of the premises as investigations continue to establish the identities of those behind the operation, determine ownership of the facility and assess the scale of the suspected illegal activities.
The EFCC said the investigation would also examine the alleged economic sabotage associated with the operation.
