14 July 2026 · Bonny
Piracy in Rivers
OpenWatch has recorded 55 reported piracy incidents in Rivers State, 4 of them in the last 12 months. That is 5% of every incident recorded in the state, and ranks it 1 of 3 among the states where piracy is reported often enough to profile.
Incidents · 12 mo
4
Fatalities · 12 mo
0
Incidents · all-time
55
Fatalities · all-time
35
Latest reported piracy in Rivers
8 July 2026 · Bonny
The Nigerian Navy, under Operation Delta Sentinel, uncovered and destroyed an illegal crude oil storage site in Bonny LGA, Rivers State, recovering approximately 39,500 litres of suspected stolen crude oil.
28 June 2026 · Abua/Odual
Personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH intercepted 22,870 litres of illegal diesel during an operation in the Orashi Forest area of Okolomade Community in Abua/Odual LGA, Rivers State.
26 February 2026
Fifteen personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have been killed over the years while combating oil theft in the Niger Delta region. Tantita has donated a Command & Control Centre to support NSCDC efforts.
6 May 2025 · Okrika
Suspected sea pirates abducted 12 boat passengers and their driver along the Isaka waterways in Okrika LGA, Rivers State, while en route to Bille Town, and hijacked two other passenger boats, stripping them of goods along routes to the Cawthorne Channel and Bonny Island.
15 December 2024
The Nigerian Army arrested 29 suspects involved in illegal oil bunkering and deactivated 42 illegal refining sites across Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta states from December 9 to 15, 2024.
2 September 2024
Ten passengers were kidnapped by suspected pirates while traveling from Bonny to Port Harcourt on Bonny Waterway. The incident has raised concerns about security on the waterways.
10 June 2024 · Etche
Three suspects were arrested at an illegal oil refinery site in Rivers State, where a large reservoir for illegally refined crude oil was uncovered.
5 April 2024 · Degema
The Nigerian Navy arrested 14 suspects involved in illegal oil bunkering and uncovered an illegal oil refining site in the Elem Krakama community of Degema Local Government Area, Rivers State.
3 November 2023 · Degema
Four personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were feared killed in an ambush by suspected sea pirates in Bakana community, Rivers. The incident occurred on Bakana River in the early hours of Friday.
Other threats in Rivers
About these figures
Counts cover incidents classified as piracy in Rivers State, drawn from OpenWatch’s incident record, excluding retracted reports and duplicates merged into an earlier report. Figures update hourly. Last recorded: 14 July 2026.
Reported numbers are a floor, not a census. Incidents in remote areas are routinely under-reported, and classification follows how an event was described in reporting, so a low count is not a guarantee of safety. See the full Rivers risk profile for every threat type, or the methodology for how incidents are collected and classified.
Track Rivers live on the incident map.