Economic Sabotage: NNPC seeks establishment of special courts for oil theft

*Malam Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director and CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, declares the establishment of special courts has become necessary to unmask the individuals and groups behind illegal crude oil refining in the West African country

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

In the Nigerian authorities’ move to address the growing menace and further protect the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has asked for the establishment of special courts for the prosecution of oil thieves and illegal bunkerers.

ConsumerConnect gathered Malam Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (GMD/CEO) of NNPC, stated this Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Abuja, when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Upstream, investigating the losses of Nigeria’s crude production to oil theft and illegal bunkering.

Stolen crude at an illegal oil-refining site in Niger Delta region

The NNPC Chief also disclosed to the Federal lawmakers that Nigeria had lost over 1.5 billion Dollars to oil theft between January and March 2022 alone.

Kyari said that establishment of the special courts had become necessary to unmask those behind illegal crude oil refining.

“We must have special courts to try those behind this business. This is an elite business, it is not done by poor people”stated he.

The NNPC GMD/CEO as well lamented loss of crude oil production to activities of vandals and oil thieves.

According to him, stern security measures are being considered to restore production situation and improve revenue to the government.

Kyari further noted that efforts are in progress to ensure the oil theft menace is addressed, as he emphasised there would be tremendous progress within the next two months.

Thieves and vandals, he said, had rendered some of the facilities useless, as the activities of vandals and thieves had got to a level that the NNPC had to shut down some facilities.

The NNPC can no longer sustain production as expected because of the activities of the oil thieves and vandals, Kyari stated.

He added that “it came to a level where we could only receive 300 barrel per day.”

The lawmakers, however, said it was time to declare a state of emergency in conveying crude oil and mandated the strict monitoring of pipelines.