The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has recorded no less than 148 occurrences of crude oil theft between September 2 and 8, 2023.
According to the NNPCL, the thefts were reported to have occurred across the oil-producing areas of the Niger Delta, with 14 cases in the Deep Blue Sea, 48 in the Western region, 31 in the Central region, and 55 in the Eastern region.
It said: “Of the total incidents documented, 14 occurred in the Deep Blue Sea, 48 in the Western region, 31 in the Central region, and 55 in the Eastern region within the oil-producing areas of the Niger Delta.”
The group’s report also revealed that the thefts were attributed to illegal refineries, vessel violations, unauthorized connections, arrests involving wooden boats and vehicles, oil spills, pipeline vandalism, and other factors.
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It disclosed that the scale of crude oil theft in Nigeria was staggering, with the country losing about N1.96 trillion ($4.8 billion) to oil theft, sabotage, and oil production adjustment in 2021 alone.
It lamented that the problem has been a long-standing issue in Nigeria, with the government and organizations like the Nigerian Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) working to quantify the financial losses that are impeding economic growth within the oil and gas sector.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbass, recently stated that the nation has lost an astounding $46 billion (or N16.25 trillion) in the preceding 11 years owing to crude oil theft— a situation now considered an ‘existential threat’ by Shell.
