Three Chinese nationals have been arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in connection with an illegal refinery in Ogere-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The suspects were reportedly arrested on Wednesday during a joint inspection of the facility by the EFCC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
According to reports, the three foreigners were found in a heavily guarded building opposite the refinery, which occupies more than three hectares of land.
They reportedly presented Chinese passports bearing Nigerian Immigration Service entry stamps issued on May 9, 2026, allowing them a 30-day stay. The documents indicated that their permitted stay expired on June 8, but they were allegedly still in the country without valid residence or work permits.
The suspects were subsequently taken into EFCC custody for further investigation.
During the inspection, NMDPRA officials discovered underground storage tanks with an estimated capacity of more than 90,000 litres, heating systems, cooling equipment, and locally fabricated tanks believed to have been used in processing sludge oil.
The authority subsequently sealed the facility, which it said had no operating permit. Substances suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), commonly known as diesel, were also found at the site, pending laboratory tests to establish their composition.
The arrests come barely two weeks after the EFCC apprehended 14 Chinese nationals and one Nigerian at four suspected illegal lithium processing plants in the same Ogere area.
The commission recovered lithium-bearing rocks, 18 mobile phones, four laptops, and a trailer truck during that operation.
Investigations into the suspected illegal operations and the ownership of the refinery are ongoing.
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