The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has disclosed a staggering 121 crude oil theft incidents that occurred between July 29 and August 4, 2023. The revelation was made during the company’s weekly Energy series, broadcast on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Network.

These incidents of crude theft were spread across multiple states, including Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, and Imo. The detailed breakdown of the incidents is as follows:

  • 24 cases of illegal connections
  • 52 illegal refineries
  • 6 instances of pipeline vandalism
  • 26 confiscated wooden boats
  • 12 violations of vessel AIS (Automatic Identification System)
  • 1 reported oil spill
  • 1 occurrence of an illegal vessel

The incidents were geographically distributed, with 12 of them occurring in the Deep Blue water, 7 in the Western region, 80 in the Central region, and 23 in the Eastern region of the Niger Delta, a major oil-producing area.

The report also highlighted key sources of these incidents within the oil industry:

  • Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC): 12 incidents
  • Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited: 22 incidents
  • Maton Engineering Nigeria Limited: 22 incidents
  • GSIA: 46 incidents
  • NNPCL Command and Control Center: 12 incidents
  • Tantita Security: 7 incidents
  • Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC): 1 incident

In 2022, Bala Wunti, Chief Upstream Investment Officer at NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), introduced a new security architecture against crude oil theft, emphasizing a command-and-control center technology that involves various stakeholders, including security agencies, regulators, and communities.

Concerns were raised by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources Downstream, regarding the burning of vessels and materials used in crude theft. He questioned the economic rationale behind destroying valuable resources that could generate revenue for the country. He stated that the committee intended to investigate the circumstances surrounding these actions, suggesting potential hidden motives behind such destruction.

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