The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) reported on Tuesday that 127 crude oil thefts were recorded in the nation’s hydrocarbon resources industry within seven days.
The state-owned oil company, in its weekly report on the “War On Crude Oil Theft”, disclosed that it uncovered 51 illegal refineries, 29 illegal connections and discovered eight vessels that had Automatic Identification System (AIS) infraction.
In a post shared on it official ‘X’ handle on Tuesday, the company clarified that six acts of pipeline vandalism were detected, five illegal storage sites discovered, 13 arrests were made including wooden boats, 11 vehicle arrested in Imo State and three oil spills were reported.
According to the report, the crude oil thefts occurred across various locations in Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Abia and Imo State while three thieves were apprehended in Isoko South and three others are now on the run.
The company posted on the X handle: “Two of the arrested individuals identified themselves as, Bernard Innocent from Isoko South in Delta State, and Adam Akpobome Godstime, a resident of Owodokpokpo in Delta State.
“The incident took place in different regions, nine took place in the deep blue water , 50 in the eastern region, 45 in the central region while 23 took place in the western region”, it added.
During the week, it was reported that Tantita Security Services Ltd busted a vessel stealing crude oil from a wellhead offshore in Ondo State, after the thieves’ initial resistance was curtailed by the private security outfit.
The vessel is currently in the custody of the Nigerian Navy and it is reported to have carried out “dark activities” in Ghana on November 29 and between August and October, it engaged in four illegal actions.
