The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has announced that it recorded 188 incidents of oil theft between August 24 and August 30.
The state-owned energy company detailed these thefts in a recent disclosure, highlighting ongoing security challenges in the sector.
In a visual report, the NNPC stated, “Between the 24th and 30th of August 2024, a total of 188 incidents of oil theft were recorded across several locations in the Niger Delta from different incident sources.”
It was reported that 89 illegal refineries were located and dismantled in one week.
According to NNPC, several illegal connections were uncovered in Bayelsa, Abia, and Rivers States, and illegal refineries were destroyed in Abia and Rivers.
The company revealed that illegal storage sites resembling pond-like reservoirs were found in Abia, and crude oil spills occurred in Abia, Rivers, and Bayelsa due to these illicit connections.
In addition, vandalism incidents were noted, with a boat carrying metals from vandalized oil wellheads intercepted in Rivers. On land, trucks and vehicles transporting stolen crude oil were seized in Delta State, while wooden boats conveying stolen oil were intercepted in Rivers, Bayelsa, and Akwa-Ibom States.
NNPC also disclosed that 31 suspected oil thieves were arrested last week and handed over to security agents for further investigation.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari expressed deep concern over the rampant oil theft in the Niger Delta region, describing it as a significant economic crime that warrants the attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
“Today, we have disconnected up to 4,846 illegal pipes connected to our pipelines, which is out of 5,543 such illegal connection points. That means there are a vast number of such connections that we have not removed.
“These things don’t just happen from the blues. They happen in communities and locations we all know. As we remove one illegal connection, another one comes up. It is sad,” Kyari told the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, during a meeting in March.
According to the NNPCL boss, this kind of oil theft does not happen anywhere else in the world.
