The Senate has ordered a thorough investigation of security forces and militia groups using sophisticated methods to steal crude oil.
This followed a motion by Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North).
The Senate mandated its committees on Petroleum Resources and Niger Delta Affairs to probe security forces, militia groups, locals, oil company employees and any individual or entity suspected to be using sophisticated methods to pilfer from oil facilities.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio said oil theft has impacted negatively on the country’s production capacity.
He asked the committees to report back to the Senate in six weeks.
Nwoko noted that pipeline vandalism and oil bunkering had brought Nigeria into a serious socio-economic crisis.
The lawmaker said oil theft has cost Nigeria N2.3 trillion this year.
He claimed that some bad eggs within the security agencies conspire with unscrupulous figures within the oil industry to engage in the illicit activity of oil theft.
This, he said, undermined the collaborative efforts of the Joint Task Force of the Nigerian military and other security agencies to combat the menace.
Nwoko said: “The current collaborative efforts involving the Joint Task Force of the Nigerian military, operations like Operation Delta Safe and Operation Dakartada Barawo, along with the contributions of various security entities, state and local governments, and International Oil Companies (IOCs) in the Niger Delta region have yielded positive results.
“These efforts have led to an increase in oil production, reaching 1.51 million barrels per day in the first quarter of 2023.”
“This figure marks an improvement from the 1.49 million barrels per day recorded in the same quarter of 2022 and is notably higher than the production volume of 1.34 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter of 2022.
“Despite the efforts of certain military personnel and security agencies like the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) and Department of State Services (DSS) in combating oil theft in the Niger Delta region, there are individuals within these institutions who engage in illicit activities.
“These individuals collaborate with unscrupulous figures within the oil industry to undermine the nation’s economy.”
He believes oil theft thrives due to a troubling collaboration between security forces, militia groups, the local population, and certain employees within oil companies.
“These parties employ sophisticated methods to carry out theft from oil facilities located within the country,” he said. The Nation.