The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) has recorded about 136 incidents of crude oil theft between the 16th and 22nd of March 2024.
This was stated during the weekly show Energy and You aired on NTA where details of the various types of crude oil theft were provided.
The report highlighted 37 instances of unauthorized connections, 26 occurrences of pipeline tampering, 29 illegal refineries, 13 violations related to the Automatic Identification System (AIS) of vessels, a single oil spill incident, and other activities across numerous sites in the Niger Delta region.
Locations of crude oil theft
The incidents primarily took place in Rivers State and were disclosed by Tantita Security Services. Reports indicated that illegal connections, numbering 37, were identified and removed in the states of Rivers, Bayelsa, and Abia.
Additionally, 29 illicit refining operations were detected in various areas of the Niger Delta, with significant instances reported in the states of Abia, Imo, and Rivers.
In Bayelsa state, real-time footage from a drone camera showed an individual illicitly extracting crude from an unauthorized oil pit, which led to oil spills.
Moreover, in the states of Rivers and Delta, about 13 vessels were marked for AIS non-compliance, and wooden boats carrying illicitly obtained crude oil were seized. Similarly, approximately 12 vehicles involved in the transportation of stolen crude oil were apprehended in Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Delta, and Abia states.
A breakdown of incidents shows that the Central Niger Delta witnessed 70 incidents, the deep blue water regions recorded 13, while the Eastern Niger Delta and Western Niger Delta reported 38 and 15 incidents, respectively.
Crude oil theft in Nigeria
Nigeria faces significant challenges with crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, causing reduced state revenues, environmental harm, and a decrease in onshore investments by International Oil Companies (IOCs). This issue has led to a decline in daily oil production from 2 million to nearly 1.5 million barrels.
During a visit to oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta, the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President revealed that Nigeria suffers a daily loss of about 400,000 barrels of crude oil due to theft.
