The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) announced the discovery of 122 illegal oil refining sites across the Niger Delta region over the past week. This revelation was part of a documentary released by the company on Tuesday.
The documentary detailed that 65 illegal pipeline connections were identified and removed in Rivers and other states within the oil-rich Niger Delta. Additionally, NNPCL reported recording 310 incidents between May 18 and 24 as part of their ongoing efforts to combat oil theft and vandalism.
The illegal refineries were discovered at Tomble II, III, IV, and Umuajuloke in Rivers State, as well as Oporomor III, Eduwini, and Ajatiton in Bayelsa State. Vandalized wellheads were found in Tomble IV, Rivers State, and Egbema, Imo State. A pit filled with crude oil from a vandalized wellhead was also located.
Furthermore, five illegal storage sites were identified, containing oil stored in sacks, pits, cans, and even a filling station. The company seized a total of 20 vehicles, including a tanker, in Delta and Imo states. Additionally, 29 boats transporting crude oil or illegally refined products were confiscated across several creeks in Bayelsa and Delta states. Thirty-three suspects have been arrested in connection with these incidents.
In Akwa Ibom State, a filling station selling illegally refined fuel was sealed. The station, located at Grey Creek, was found distributing the illicit fuel to motorists.
NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, emphasized the critical need to address security challenges in the oil and gas sector to boost production. Kyari highlighted the significant impact of oil theft and vandalism on the nation’s crude oil output.
“How do you increase oil production? Remove the security challenge we have in our onshore assets. As we all know, the security challenge is real. It is not just about theft, it is about the availability of the infrastructure to deliver the volume to the market,” Kyari stated.
He further explained the reluctance of investors to fund oil production due to these security issues. “No one is going to put money into oil production when he knows the production will not get to the market. Within the last two years, we removed over 5,800 illegal connections from our pipelines. We took down over 6,000 illegal refineries. You simply cannot get people to put money until you solve that problem,” he added.