The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Bashir Ojulari, has disclosed that crude oil theft in Africa is largely orchestrated by specialised international and continental syndicates taking advantage of security gaps.

Speaking on Monday at the opening of the Africa Chiefs of Defence Staff Conference in Abuja, Ojulari stressed that oil theft is not a localised crime but a highly organised operation that can only be curbed through cross-border cooperation.

He stated, “Crude theft and its attendant illegal activities are by no means a purely localised occurrence; rather, these operations involve specialised international syndicates that take advantage of gaps within the state, national and continental security architecture to conduct illegal activities.”

He stated that crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, particularly in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta, have become less frequent due to the sustained efforts of security agencies.

“Security forms a key pillar of the energy business and therefore plays a very important and strategic role in achieving national, regional and continental energy security goals.”

Ojulari said as the head of the largest national oil company on the continent, “We have seen the benefit of the collaboration within the energy space, with significant improvement in our operating environment,” he noted.

The NNPCL boss noted that as head of the continent’s largest national oil company, he has witnessed the gains of collaboration within the energy sector, which have led to significant improvements in the operating environment.

Recent operations by the Nigerian Army’s 6 Division resulted in the seizure of more than 32,000 litres of stolen petroleum products and the arrest of 69 suspects. In addition, the Federal Government, in collaboration with international oil companies, has been implementing various measures to tackle oil theft nationwide.

The government has deployed advanced surveillance tools, including drones and satellite imagery, to monitor pipelines and oil facilities. In addition, the military and law enforcement agencies have intensified crackdowns on illegal oil operations, dismantling multiple bunkering sites and arresting offenders.

It is also working with international partners to trace and curb the sale of stolen crude on the global market, while engaging local communities in protecting oil infrastructure through incentives and awareness campaigns on the harmful effects of oil theft.

The fight against oil theft faces multiple obstacles, including corruption within the oil industry and law enforcement agencies.

Efforts are further hampered by inadequate infrastructure and the difficult terrain of oil-producing areas, which limit effective surveillance and enforcement.

In addition, weak community engagement and the absence of viable economic alternatives for those involved in oil theft continue to fuel the problem.