The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has uncovered 179 incidents of crude oil theft within one week. The discoveries, made between January 11 and 17, 2025, were part of an ongoing effort to combat oil theft and safeguard Nigeria’s vital hydrocarbon infrastructure.
A video released by the NNPCL detailed these incidents, which occurred across the Niger Delta region. The findings included 29 illegal pipeline connections and 55 illegal refineries.
The company noted that the discoveries were a result of coordinated actions involving NNPCL’s Command and Control Centre, Tantita Security Agency, Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, Maton Engineering Nigeria Limited, Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited, Liquefied Natural Gas, Oando PLC, and various government security agencies.
In Bayelsa and Abia States, security forces uncovered and repaired several illegal pipeline connections. Additionally, the report revealed that multiple illegal refineries used for producing black-market petroleum products were dismantled in Rivers and Abia States. Hidden storage sites for stolen crude oil were also discovered and destroyed in Rivers and other parts of Abia.
“Security forces exposed and destroyed these sites. Unfortunately, acts of sabotage led to several oil spills during the week, including a vandalised condensate pipeline and damaged wellheads in Rivers,” the NNPCL stated.
The report further noted that security operatives intercepted vehicles carrying stolen crude oil on roads in Rivers, Bayelsa, and Abia States. On waterways, wooden fibre boats loaded with stolen crude oil were seized.
These incidents spanned several corridors, with 90 recorded in the Central Corridor, 70 in the Eastern Corridor, five in the Western Corridor, and 14 in Deep Blue Water.
As part of the crackdown, 30 suspects were arrested and handed over to government security agencies for further investigation. The NNPCL reiterated its determination to eradicate crude oil theft, describing the menace as a major obstacle to achieving Nigeria’s oil production targets.
In related reports, 128 illegal refineries were uncovered in the first two weeks of 2025. Between January 4 and 10, 53 illegal pipeline connections and 73 illegal refineries were identified, demonstrating the scale of the ongoing threat posed by oil theft.
