Military Arrest 210 Suspects For Oil Theft, Discover 838 Excavated Pits In Niger Delta

Intelligence gathering and military operations have resulted in the arrest of 210 suspects in the Niger Delta for crude oil theft.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this yesterday in Abuja at a meeting with officers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) at the end of his tour some hydrocarbon installations on the Trans-Niger Pipeline, Nembe Creek Trunk Line and Bonny Oil and Gas Terminal that have been under force majeure since March 2022. He said 365 illegal refining sites were destroyed, with about 1,054 refining ovens, 1,210 metal storage tanks, 838 dugout pits, and 346 reservoirs destroyed.

The minister added that the continued campaign by the military has also led to the confiscation of 20.2 million litres of AGO, 461.8 thousand litres of petrol, 843.6 thousand litres of DPK, and 383.5 thousand barrels of crude oil.

Classifying the estimated loss of 700,000 barrels of oil per day in the Niger Delta from theft and production shut in as an existential threat to the country, Mohammed reiterated the determination of federal government to put an end to oil theft from the activities of vandals and economic saboteurs which have severely impacted Nigeria’s crude oil and natural gas production.

“We have witnessed first-hand a number of illegal refineries destroyed by our military in the course of our aerial surveillance.

“Several vehicles, crude mining and bunkering equipment like speed boats, wooden boats, market boats, trucks and tankers have been confiscated by the government security agencies,” Mohammed said.