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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has uncovered an illegal oil refining facility allegedly operated by Chinese nationals in the Ogere area of Ogun State, where waste petroleum products were being processed into Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), commonly known as diesel, for local commercial distribution.
The operation was executed on Saturday, October 31, 2026, by operatives from the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC following actionable intelligence targeting illegal economic operations within the region.
However, the suspected operators fled the premises prior to the tactical team’s arrival, leaving the refining site completely deserted when anti-graft agents moved in.
In an official statement released yesterday, EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, confirmed that operatives recovered waste residue from the refining process alongside specialized underground heating tanks used to process crude sludge oil.
An inspection of the facility revealed two large underground storage tanks containing heavy volumes of refined substances suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
Preliminary findings by investigators indicate that the illicit operators regularly transported raw sludge oil—popularly called black sludge—from oil hubs in Warri, Delta State, and Port Harcourt, Rivers State, down to the Ogere site for thermal processing.
The refining operation involved subjecting the raw sludge to high temperatures, directing the vaporized petroleum fractions through a series of condensation chambers and manual filters to extract diesel for market distribution.
Security personnel stationed at the premises told EFCC investigators that the Chinese operators operated under strict secrecy, concealing their personal identities and the legal corporate entity behind the factory.
This latest operation comes shortly after the commission raided four illegal lithium-processing plants within the same Ogere industrial corridor, highlighting growing regulatory concerns over unverified industrial setups in the area.
The EFCC has secured the facility and taken full control of the site as forensic investigations continue to uncover the identity of the operators, verify property ownership, and determine the complete scale of the illicit refining operation.
The anti-graft agency reiterated its determination to dismantle illegal industrial setups that sabotage legitimate business enterprises and drain the Nigerian economy.
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