112 Illegal Oil Refineries Discovered in Nigeria’s Niger-Delta in 7 Days

In the fight against oil theft, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has recently intensified its efforts, revealing alarming figures that underscore the severity of this issue.

Over the past week, a shocking discovery of 122 illegal oil refineries was made in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, a stark indication of the persistent challenges facing the country’s petroleum sector.

The uncovering of these illicit operations is part of a broader crackdown by NNPCL, which also led to the sealing of a filling station in Akwa Ibom State for distributing fuel sourced from these illegal refineries.

A documentary released by NNPCL on Tuesday revealed that 65 illegal pipeline connections had been dismantled in the past seven days alone, primarily in Rivers State and other parts of the Niger Delta.

This region, critical to Nigeria’s oil production, has long been a hotspot for such illicit activities, posing significant challenges to both security and environmental sustainability.

In total, the company reported 310 incidents of theft and vandalism between May 18 and 24. These illegal refineries were predominantly found in areas like Tomble II, III, IV, Umuajuloke in Rivers State, and Oporomor III, Eduwini, and Ajatiton in Bayelsa State.

The NNPCL also discovered vandalised well heads in locations such as Tomble IV and Egbema in Imo State.

In Kyari’s Words

Mele Kyari, the NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, expressed his concerns over the future of oil investments in the region.

He emphasised the dire need for enhanced security and legal measures to ensure that crude oil production can be safely conducted and marketed.

“No one is going to put money into oil production when he knows the production will not get to the market,” Kyari stated, highlighting the economic repercussions of unchecked oil theft.

“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.

According to Kyari, the relentless efforts of NNPCL to combat oil theft in the Niger Delta will be intensified with strengthened surveillance, enhanced legal penalties for perpetrators as they foster community cooperation.