3 months ago
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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, has explained how security operatives uncovered and destroyed 134 illegal refineries in the past week.
This is as the state-owned oil firm also stated that 63 illegal pipeline connections were uncovered during the period.
In a visual report posted on its X account, NNPCL disclosed that at about 2:00 am on Sunday, a joint team of security agents discovered a large wooden boat illicitly loading stolen crude oil from Barge AGS01 within the OML 18 operating area.
According to NNPCL, while the barge was towed away with a tugboat in custody, five speedboats used in towing the large wooden boat to the illegal loading site were also detained and the particulars of the tugboats and barge used for the operation were reportedly seized for further investigation.
The company added that in Rivers State, two barges involved in illegal bunkering activities were also seized and the crew members were arrested.
Also, wooden boats transporting stolen crude oil were said to have been confiscated in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa State and Abia States.
NNPCL stated that the 63 illegal connections were uncovered in critical locations throughout the Niger Delta.
For instance in Bayelsa and Abia States, repairs were swiftly executed on pipelines while illegal connections were detected and removed.
The NNPCL disclosed that it was not just the pipelines that were under the siege of vandals and oil thieves, saying that across the swamps and waterways, illegal refineries sprawling toxic sites of crude oil refining were destroyed in states like Rivers, Abia and Bayelsa.
“Between August 31 and September 6, 2024, a total of 302 incidents were identified across various locations in the Niger Delta from several incident sources like Tantita Security Services, Shell Petroleum Development Company, Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, Maton Engineering Company, Heirs Energies Limited, Oando PLC, NNPC Limited’s Command and Control Centre and government security agencies,” the NNPCL explained.
“There is no backing down on the war on crude oil theft until the menace is eradicated.”
The development comes amid the recent commitment by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa to boost crude oil production to 2.2 million barrels per day.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari had stated on several occasions that oil theft is a setback to the country’s crude oil production capacity which stood at 1.352mbpd in August, according to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) latest report.
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