Go After Oil Thieves in the Niger Delta – President Tinubu
By Ayshatu S. Rabo
President Bola Tinubu has issued a directive to all heads of security forces and intelligence agencies to tackle the issue of crude oil theft in the Niger-Delta region, a vital part of Nigeria’s economy.
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, revealed this after a four-hour closed-door meeting with the Defence Chief and other heads of security forces.
This directive follows a disclosure by the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Ogbonnaya Orji, that the country lost $1.84 billion worth of petroleum products from refineries over nine years.
The meeting, held at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, was led by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, and included the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. Other attendees were representatives from the Nigerian Customs Services, NIMASA, Nigerian Ports Authority, Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and the Department of State Services (DSS).
Speaking to Defence Correspondents after the meeting, Kyari emphasized the importance of addressing oil theft and related crimes to achieve economic stability.
“We are here to engage with the CDS based on the directive of the president. The president had directed the CDS to take control of the crisis we are having in the Niger-Delta operational areas. Oil theft and pipeline vandalism have become national issues. The president has directed the CDS to contain this within the shortest possible time to restore national production to the level the president and the country are expecting,” Kyari said.
Kyari highlighted the necessity of coordinated efforts among all armed forces, police, DIA, DSS, and other agencies to secure the nation’s economic survival.
“Without restoring oil and gas production, we cannot have the economic stability that we desire. The president is clearly focused on this to deliver value to our country. It is impossible to do this without settling the crisis around our operational areas. We are already seeing progress and substantial value created by the coordination, but we are very convinced that a solution is in sight,” he added.
Gen. Musa vowed to eliminate all acts of vandalism and criminal activities throughout the South-South region, emphasizing the need to stop long-standing issues in the area.
“What we are promising Nigerians is that henceforth, the entire South-South will be cleared of any acts of vandalism and criminality. The president has given us a mandate to ensure that we secure the entire South-South, enabling NNPC and others to carry out their tasks to improve production,” Musa stated.
He urged host communities to trust and support the security agencies, acknowledging that trust has been an issue but assuring that the government intends to handle things differently.
“We need the communities to understand that pipeline vandalism and all the hazards being caused are also affecting them directly. We need to stop that,” he said.
Musa also announced plans to harmonize the operations of security agencies to fulfill the president’s directive, promising visible results within two to three months.
Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, echoed the commitment to take all necessary steps to curb oil theft and pipeline vandalism, calling for cooperation from all agencies and citizens.
“In days ahead, you are going to see results,” Egbetokun assured.
Go After Oil Thieves in the Niger Delta – President Tinubu