The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has uncovered over 4,800 illegal connections on oil pipelines across the country.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari shared the information with the Senate Committee on Appropriations on Friday.
Kyari explained that the illegal connections are being inserted by individuals who travel from various regions of the country to the oil-producing Niger Delta area.
The development follows the discovery of 295 illegal connections just one year ago, highlighting the rampant crude oil theft in Nigeria.
Two years ago, Kyari stated that the country was losing a staggering 200,000 barrels of oil, valued at $13 million, each day due to theft and vandalism.
He said:
“We have over 4,800 illegal connections on our pipelines. That means in some lines, within 100 kilometres of pipelines, you have as much as 300 insertions.
“Therefore, even when you produce the oil, you cannot deliver them at the required pressure and therefore the volume will also be less.
“We have two sets of losses, one coming from our products and the other coming from crude oil.
“In terms of crude losses, it is still going on. On the average, we are losing 200,000 barrels of crude every day.”
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