EFCC Seals Suspected Chinese-Run Illegal Refinery in Ogun
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have shut down a suspected illegal oil refining site in Ogere, Ogun State, believed to be operated by Chinese nationals.
The operation was carried out on Saturday, October 31, 2026, by operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 following weeks of surveillance on illegal sludge oil refining activities in the area.
The site was deserted when the operatives arrived, coming days after the Commission had earlier raided four illegal lithium processing plants in the same axis.
Although no suspect was arrested at the location, investigators found evidence of ongoing refining activities, including waste products from the process and underground tanks used for heating and processing sludge oil.
Two of the tanks were found to contain a liquid suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil, commonly called diesel.
Investigators say the operators allegedly sourced sludge oil, also known as black sludge, from Warri in Delta State and Port Harcourt in Rivers State, and moved it to Ogere for processing.
The crude method, according to the EFCC, involved heating the sludge to high temperatures and passing the lighter components through chambers and filters to produce diesel for sale.
Security guards at the facility reportedly told investigators that the Chinese nationals in charge never revealed their identities or the name of the company behind the operation.
The Commission has taken over the premises and is working to identify the operators, establish ownership of the facility, and quantify the economic loss from the illegal operation.
