The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr Ahmed Audi has ordered massive arrests and prosecution of oil thieves nationwide.
The CG issued the order to NSCDC State Commandants directing them to deploy all machinery both on land and in the waterways to carry out the task.
He gave this directive on Friday in a statement issued by Mr Olusola Odumosu, the NSCDC Director of Public Relations in Abuja.
What the NSCDC CG is saying
According to the CG, he wants a stop to the illegal oil activities that affect the economy thereby leading to revenue loss.
He noted that the timely reform and reconstitution of NSCDC Anti-Vandalism Unit would aid the commandants to track, arrest and prosecute the oil thieves in Nigeria.
He said, “I have distributed the newly acquired gunboats to you for the purpose of waging war against the enemies of our commonwealth.
“There is no excuse for failure anymore, I want to see you put a stop to revenue loss due to illegal oil activities in the nation.
“I therefore charge you to remain firm, focused and fierce with the enemies of the nation who have vowed to continue sabotaging our economy.”
On September 6, the Federal government dissolved all anti-vandal teams nationwide and reconstituted a reformed Anti-vandal Unit.
The NSCDC DG said the dissolution and subsequent reconstitution of the unit was necessary to reposition the corps for effective implementation of its statutory mandate of safeguarding national assets especially petroleum pipelines and other oil installations.
What you should know
- Activities of saboteurs and crude oil thieves have become the bane of the oil industry in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, making it impossible for the country to meet up with its Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)’s quota in recent years.
- Due to crude oil theft, Nigeria lost a staggering $1 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2022, endangering the economy of Africa’s top producer, according to Gbenga Komolafe, the head of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory.
- He added that only about 132 million barrels of the 141 million barrels of oil produced in the first quarter of 2022 were received at export terminals.Oil theft which can also be referred to as illegal bunkering, and not a new menace in the oil and gas industry, has become quite brazen and risen to an alarming level, with some oil companies disclosing that they lose between 80% and 95% of their crude oil production to the activities of these oil thieves.
- A former Managing Director/Chief Executive of the biggest Indigenous oil exploration and production company, Seplat Energy Plc, Austin Avuru, had earlier this year warned that Nigeria’s oil production has reached an emergency critical status, stating that some oil production wells don’t get to see 80% of production making it to the terminals due to oil theft.
