By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has said that the country suffered 150 crude oil theft cases and related incidents in one week.
In a video shared on Tuesday, September 5, the state oil company said that Nigeria recorded the tampering with its oil installations between August 26 and September 1, 2023, mainly in Bayelsa, Rivers, Imo, and Delta States.
Business Post gathered from the video that 22 illegal pipeline connections were discovered in the period, and 56 illegal refineries were destroyed in the Niger Delta.
The report also outlined there were nine instances of vessel AIS infractions, emphasizing the importance of maritime safety and security in the region.
Law enforcement agencies made 16 vehicle arrests, highlighting their efforts to maintain order and enforce the law in the Niger Delta and seven pipeline vandalism acts were detected, underscoring the ongoing challenges posed by these activities, including environmental damage and economic losses.
During the period, three oil spills were identified, drawing attention to the environmental repercussions and the need for swift remediation.
The NNPC report said there was discovery of 37 wooden boats raises questions about their purpose and potential involvement in illicit activities in the region.
In terms of geographical distribution, the Eastern region of the oil-producing Niger Delta experienced the highest number of incidents, with 67 recorded, followed by the Central Region with 50, while the Western region recorded 24 incidents, and nine incidents occurred in the Deep Blue Water area.
The 3-minute long video revealed that some of these illicit ventures involved the establishment of large crude pits for the storage of stolen crude oil. It was noted that certain culprits had resorted to packaging stolen crude in sack bags for subsequent sale.
According to the report, authorities uncovered a facility dedicated to crude oil theft in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.
Meanwhile, in the various states previously highlighted, the report indicates the presence of illegal connections equipped with valves.
Nigeria loses millions of barrels of crude oil a year because of theft and vandalism, including the tapping of crude from a maze of pipelines owned by oil majors.
This has restricted the country from meeting the 1.799 million barrels per day of crude oil production allocated to it by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+) for consecutive months.
Recently, the country, for yet another month, failed to meet its crude oil production output as it recorded a decline to 1.29 million barrels per day, a 12.8 per cent drop when compared to the total average daily production of 1.48 million barrels in June.
Modupe Gbadeyanka