The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, is leading a delegation of senior Commission officials on an inspection of suspected illegal oil refining and mining sites in Ogere, Ogun State.
The inspection follows the discovery of large-scale illegal operations allegedly linked to Chinese nationals in the area.
The EFCC said its operatives from the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 uncovered the illegal sludge oil refinery on Saturday, October 31, 2026, following credible intelligence and surveillance.
The facility was deserted when operatives stormed the premises, following an earlier crackdown on four illegal lithium processing plants in the area.
However, investigators discovered waste products from the refining process and underground tanks believed to have been used for heating and processing sludge oil.
Two of the tanks inspected contained substances suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), commonly known as diesel.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the operators sourced sludge oil, also known as black sludge, 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 operators allegedly subjected the sludge oil to intense heat, allowing lighter petroleum components to pass through chambers and filters in a process believed to produce diesel for sale in the Nigerian market.
Security personnel at the facility reportedly told investigators that the Chinese operators never disclosed their identities or the name of the company behind the operation.
The Commission said its operatives had taken over the premises as investigations continued to establish the identities of the operators, ownership of the facility and the full extent of the suspected illegal activities.
The EFCC is also investigating possible economic sabotage arising from the suspected illegal refining operation.
