Mele Kyari, the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has stated that there is a need to set up special courts to try and prosecute crude oil thieves and pipeline vandals, in a bid to contain the crude theft situation in Nigeria’s oil industry.
Kyari disclosed this on Thursday while briefing the House of Representatives on Nigeria’s crude oil production situation.
The alarming theft of Nigeria’s crude oil has affected Nigeria’s ability to benefit in periods of high crude prices.
What the NNPC boss is saying
Briefing the legislators, Kyari said “There is the need for us to upgrade the advocacy by setting up special courts to try and prosecute crude oil thieves and pipeline vandals. The impact of their activities on our economy is huge and we can’t allow them to bring the country to its knees.”
He added that the NNPC is not helpless as it is determined to address the menace. “There is currently a coordinated action by the FG to curtail the situation. Nothing will be left out; every agency of government is involved in this. Ultimately, we will contain the situation,” he said.
@MKKyari briefs @HouseNGR on Nigeria’s Crude Oil Production situation.
Thread… pic.twitter.com/rIkM8tk9ID
— NNPC Limited (@nnpclimited) April 7, 2022
In case you missed it
- Chairman of UBA Banking Group and Heirs Holdings Tony Elumelu recently raised an alarm that the reason Nigeria cannot meet its crude oil production quota and benefit from high oil prices is due to theft, as Nigeria is losing up to 95% of oil production to thieves.
- Austin Avuru, founding MD/CEO of Seplat Energy and Executive Chairman AA Holdings also warned that Nigeria’s oil production has reached an emergency critical status, as some oil production wells don’t get to see 80% of production making it to the terminals due to oil theft.
- These calls forced the Federal Government’s renewed moves to stop the huge cases of oil theft in its oil industry which is plaguing production, stating that it has identified a 3 element solution to put an end to the issue of oil theft.
- Recently, Nairametrics reported that the Nigerian police in its efforts to fight illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalism had impounded 41 trucks, and arrested 42 suspects of which 21 have been charged to court so far with 17 still under investigation, and secured 4 convictions.
