Again, Military, Police, NNPCL, Others Declare War on Crude Oil Theft

•Vow to achieve results in three months 

•National Assembly mulls stronger laws against oil theft, vandalism 

•NMDPRA seeks armed forces’ support to curb adulteration, product diversion

Emmanuel Addeh and Ikechukwu Aleke in Abuja

The Armed Forces of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and other security agencies, yesterday, declared fresh war on perpetrators of oil theft, especially in the Niger Delta, in a bid to improve oil production and revitalise the country’s ailing economy.

That was as the National Assembly threw its weight behind the ongoing efforts to boost Nigeria’s crude oil production and grow its reserves.

The federal legislature said it would consider laws prescribing stiffer consequences for crude oil thieves and those that vandalise the country’s critical hydrocarbon infrastructure.

Equally, yesterday, the state Coordinator of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ike Eseka, sought the support of the Nigerian Army to address the rampant issues of petroleum products diversion, price gouging, and sale of adulterated fuels in Akwa Ibom State.

The intensified war against oil theft followed a new directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the military, police, NNPCL, and other security agencies to improve production of crude oil in the Niger Delta.

Addressing the press after a closed-door meeting with the leadership of NNPCL and heads of security agencies, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, said the president had given them a mandate to ensure that they secured the entire South-south, to enable NNPCL and others to carry out their tasks to improve oil production.

Musa assured Nigerians that they would see the result of the reinvigorated war against oil theft within three months.

According to him, the truth is that whatever is happening in the South-south has been ongoing for a long time. He stressed the need to bring the criminal activities to a halt.

Musa vowed that going forward, the entire South-south would be cleared of all acts of vandalism and criminality within the general area.

He added, “Like we said, the president has given us a mandate to ensure that we secure the entire South-south, to enable NNPC and others to carry out their tasks so that we can have improved production.

“We know that Nigeria relies so much on crude oil production, so we want to use this medium to appeal to the communities, to have an understanding. Yes, we know trust has been a problem, but they can trust us, they can trust the government, that we want to do things differently. Everyone will be carried along.”

The CDS said the ongoing war was not only for the security agencies, stating that everyone has a role to play in the renewed anti-oil theft operation.

He said, “We need the communities to understand that pipeline vandalism and all the hazards being caused is also affecting them directly and we need to stop that.

“We need to work together and this meeting we had today is to harmonise that based on the mandates that the president has given us. We are going to work together as a team and all the operations will be harmonised.”

Musa stated that the Joint Task Force, with the land components of all the other agencies, would work together to bring results.

While fielding questions from newsmen, Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, assured Nigerians that in the days ahead, they were going to see results.

Egbetokun said, “We accept that we have challenges, but we must all come together to solve them. So we need the cooperation of all agencies, we need the cooperation of the citizens. We need to take every step that we need to take to address all these issues.

“I am assuring you that in the days ahead, you are going to see results.”

Speaking earlier, Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, said the security meeting with the CDS was based on the directive of the president.

Kyari said the president directed the CDS to take control of the crisis the country was having in the Niger Delta operational area.

According to him, oil theft and pipeline vandalism have become a national issue, and the president has directed the CDS to curtail this within the shortest time possible, “so that we can restore national production to the level the president and the country is expecting”.

Kyari stated, “To do this, he needs the coordination and cooperation of all, the armed forces, the police, the DIA, the DSS, among others. It is the survival of our country that is at stake today.

“Without restoring oil and gas production, we cannot have the economic stability that we desire. The president is clearly focused on this to deliver value to our country. It is impossible to do this without curtailing the crisis around our operational areas.”

The GCEO added, “We are already seeing progress; we are seeing substantial value that is being created by the coordination, but we are very convinced that a solution is in sight.”

The National Assembly declared support for ongoing efforts to boost Nigeria’s crude oil production and grow its reserves, saying it would consider stiffer penalties for crude oil thieves and persons that damage the country’s critical hydrocarbon infrastructure.

The National Assembly Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) made the declaration yesterday, when it paid an oversight visit to the NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), an upstream arm of the NNPC Limited, at its headquarters in Lagos.

NNPCL, in a statement yesterday by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, revealed that the legislators were jointly led by chairmen of the committees from both chambers of the National Assembly, Senator Eteng Williams and Hon. Alhassan Doguwa.

Soneye said the legislators described the menace of crude oil theft and vandalism of critical oil and gas infrastructure as a major challenge to Nigeria’s revenue generation and budget targets, which must be curtailed.

In his remarks, Williams said it was imperative for the National Assembly to come up with legislative action that will help to stop crude oil theft and increase Nigeria’s crude oil production.

He said from what they found at NUIMS, the legislature was duty-bound to come up with decisive measures that would help the government achieve its set targets in the oil and gas sector.

Doguwa said by virtue of their duty as a legislature, the lawmakers would fast-track the strengthening of a legislative framework to check the issues bedevilling the country’s oil and gas sector.

He commended NNPCL for its industry-wide security collaboration and said more needed to be done to ensure the company increased Nigeria’s crude oil production and grew its reserves.

Earlier in his presentation to the lawmakers, Chief Upstream Investment Officer (CUIO) of NNPCL, Mr. Bala Wunti, described NUIMS as a trustee of Nigeria’s upstream investments, which ensured the country maximised returns through effective supervision of its Joint Venture (JV), Production Sharing Contracts (PSC), and Service Contracts (SC) operating partners.

Wunti commended the lawmakers for their consistent support for NNPCL, and said engagements with the National Assembly were crucial, as they will help the national oil company in the achievement of its mandate.

He stated, “We are here to see how the NASS will help us produce more barrels and deliver value to our shareholders. Increasing production is the new narrative and your support is needed to enable us achieve our set targets based on our key principles of safety, speed, compliance and efficiency.”

Wunti said so far, the industry-wide security collaboration against crude oil theft and vandalism of Nigeria’s critical hydrocarbon infrastructure through the four-way strategy of “detect, deter, respond and recover” had been instrumental in the recent restoration of some of the country’s lost barrels.

In the meantime, Eseka sought the support of the Nigerian Army to address widespread cases of petroleum products diversion, price gouging, and sale of adulterated fuels in Akwa Ibom State.

A statement by Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 2 Brigade, Lt Adebowale Adejimi, said NMDPRA sought the army’s support, when the state coordinator paid a courtesy visit to the Commander, 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army/Sector 2 Joint Task Force (JTF) South-south Operation DELTA SAFE (OPDS), Brig Gen Jaafar Ibrahim, at the headquarters.

Addressing the visitors, Ibrahim said the visit was a significant step in the collaborative efforts to curb illegal activities plaguing the petroleum sector. He expressed his commitment to support the NMDPRA in its regulatory efforts.

According to him, the Nigerian Army is dedicated to maintaining the security and economic stability of our nation.

The brigade commander said, “We will deploy necessary resources to assist in identifying and apprehending those involved in these illicit activities.”

He assured that the cooperation would send a strong message to perpetrators that the government was determined to clean up the petroleum sector and protect consumers from exploitation.

Ibrahim stated that the new collaboration also underscored a proactive approach to addressing the challenges within the petroleum industry, signalling a new era of accountability and stringent regulation.

Earlier, while stating the purpose of the visit, Eseka outlined the persistent challenges facing the organisation, emphasising the urgent need for military assistance in tackling the crimes.

He said the centre was witnessing a disturbing trend where petroleum products were being diverted, sold at exorbitant rates, and adulterated, posing severe risks to consumers and the economy. 

Eseka added that the unethical practices undermined public trust and violated regulatory standards.