It is indeed a difficult to differentiate between illegal refineries and oil theft locally although there is an international perspective where crude oil is stolen with foreign collaborators who ship same outside the country.
In the last couple of months, there have been reports of rising theft of oil in various Niger Delta states despite intensified security operatives’ offensive to stem the tide. The deterrence factor is on the reverse gear as perpetrators keep swelling in numbers and operations across the region where oil is found.
One most recent report has it that troops of the 6 Division, Nigeria Army have deactivated 32 new illegal refineries destroyed 54 local boats constructed by oil thieves and recovered 250, 000 litres of stolen products in their ongoing operations to stop economic sabotage in the Niger Delta.
A statement by the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations of the Division, Lt. Col. Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, said many suspects were arrested and few vehicles intercepted during the operations, which he said involved other security agencies.
In Rivers State, troops deactivated two illegal refining sites.
He said they also destroyed three large tanks filled with over 45,000 litres of stolen crude, 6 drums filled with over 1,200 litres of Automotive Gas Oil ,AGO, two mini tanks with over 3,000 litres of stolen products.
“Others include 4 dugouts pits with over 12,000 litres of crude, 3 empty tanks, 3 sacks of stolen AGO estimated to be over 2,000 litres and 8 drums”, he said.
Bayelsa State, troops conducted several strangulation operations adding that at Olukama 1 and Amalaghakiri general areas in Nembe LGA, two illegal refining sites were deactivated with over 5,000 of stolen products recovered.
In Delta State, he said a tipper truck was intercepted with over 30 drums of stolen condensates and two occupants of the vehicle were arrested.
He added: “Also, at North of Benneth Island in Warri South LGA, two active illegal refining sites were taken out with several holding facilities destroyed. Additionally, several dugout pits were discovered with over 12,500 litres of stolen crude.
“At Aghigho Oil Field also in Warri South LGA, troops intercepted a wooden boat loaded with crude oil packaged in 40 cellophane bags estimated to be over 1,800 litres”.
Danjuma said the operation at Elume community in Okpe LGA, led to the destruction of one illegal refining site with five empty drums.
“Akwa Ibom State had several anti illegal oil bunkering operations conducted. This led to the arrest of two trucks with over an 30,000 litres each of stolen products along Port Harcourt- Ikot Abasi road. Relatedly, at Ette junction in Ikot Abasi LGA, troops intercepted several jerricans, 6 polythene bags filled with stolen crude”.
It is therefore obvious from these accounts that no part of the region is exempted from this monumental economic sabotage.
In August, Nigerian authorities arrested 16 suspects and seized 63 illegal refineries across the country in a week-long operation aimed at combating crude oil theft, which has plagued the oil industry for years.
Organized crime groups are siphoning oil from pipelines and transporting it to makeshift refineries before they sell it abroad. Experts believe that most of the oil is stolen before it reaches the terminals.
Network of international players who collaborate with local agents and influential groups within the country to steal oil from both onshore and offshore facilities and secretly transport it out of Nigeria via vessels. Crude oil theft is a menace that has severely impacted the country’s revenues, despite ongoing government efforts to end it in the Niger Delta region.
Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, once noted that the country is losing 400,000 barrels of oil per day to crude oil thieves.
Indeed, we are informed that oil theft in large volumes is linked to highly placed individuals as average citizens can hardly afford the cost associated with lifting oil no matter how low the quantity.
The Federal Government needs a more robust approach to tackling the menace which is linked to ‘influential’ individuals beyond the ‘slap on the wrist’ that is currently evident. That way, it would put to rest recent allegations that the government is handicapped in naming the ‘big fishes’ behind oil theft.
