A regulatory agency has revealed that Nigeria’s corporate and economic existence is being threatened by a large-scale theft of crude oil put at $3.27b in the last 14 months.
It added that there is an escalating rate of vandalism in the Niger Delta.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) Gbenga Komolafe said this yesterday at a stakeholders’ engagement on oil theft in Abuja.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Lucky Irabor, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Timipre Sylva were also present.
Irabor, Sylva and Komolafe all warned that the government would no longer condone criminality on the nation’s oil and gas facilities and installations.
They said crude oil thieves, pipeline vandals and illegal refiners have their days numbered.
A statement by Malam Garba Deen Muhammad, group general manager, Group Public Affairs Division at Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd, said the warning was given during an on-the-spot assessment of some pipelines damaged by vandals and other criminals in some areas and communities of Rivers State, on Wednesday.
At Ibaa Community in Emeoha Local Government where the delegation witnessed an illegal refinery burnt down by the military, Sylva said besides causing huge losses for the country, the criminals were also destroying the livelihoods of locals and the environment.
General Irabor said in carrying out Mr President’s directives to contain losses from these criminalities, the military will deploy a different strategy and a new drive by pursuing not only the criminals but also their sponsors.
“We are not only zeroing in on the criminals, but also on those who are supporting them,” he said.
