Oil Theft Epidemic: NNPCL Uncovers Illegal Pipes in Churches, Mosques, Warns of Economic Risks
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has revealed shocking details about the scale of oil theft in the country. According to Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, illegal pipes have been traced to sacred institutions, including mosques, churches, and traditional palaces.
Soneye expressed concern about the large-scale oil bunkering in the country during a Stakeholders Engagement Session with the National Assembly Press Corp in Abuja. He emphasised that the nation’s economy is at risk if the challenges in the oil sector are not addressed.
“The low prosecution rate of criminals undermines efforts to combat oil theft,” Soneye said. “In November last year, we arrested a vessel with 23 crewmen on board, but the same vessel was caught again in another place just three months later. The prosecution rate of those stealing oil is less than two percent.”
NNPCL’s Deputy Manager, Command and Control Centre, Murtala Muhammad, also disclosed that over 8,000 illegal refineries have been destroyed in the last six months, with 5,800 illegal oil pipeline connections detected and destroyed ¹. Muhammad identified Bayelsa, Rivers, Imo, and Abia as hot spots for oil theft and vandalization.
Despite these challenges, NNPCL remains optimistic about increasing crude oil production from 1.7 million barrels per day to three million barrels ¹. Mele Kyari, NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, has assured stakeholders of the company’s commitment to ending energy scarcity in the next 10 years ².