- NNPCL Uncovers Over 4, 800 Illegal Connections On Oil Pipelines In Nigeria
- Nigerian Navy, Tantita In War Of Words Over Seized Oil Vessel
The monster called oil theft has again reared its ugly head causing confusion and chaos along the way.
Just when the country was beginning to heave a sigh of relief, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) disclosed that it discovered over 4,800 illegal connections on oil pipelines in the country in what is a grim picture of the country’s major income earner.
“We have over 4,800 illegal connections on our pipelines. That means in some lines, within 100 kilometres of pipelines, you have as much as 300 insertions,” the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL Mele Kyari told the Senate Committee on Appropriations on Friday.
“Therefore, even when you produce the oil, you cannot deliver them at the required pressure and therefore the volume will also be less.”
According to the NNPCL boss, people troop in from other parts of the country to insert illegal connections on pipelines in the oil-producing Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
The latest development came about one year after the firm discovered 295 illegal connections to its pipeline, a development that further amplified the massive crude oil theft in Nigeria.
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Two years ago, Kyari said the country was losing 200,000 barrels of oil valued at $13 million daily to theft and vandalism.
“We have two sets of losses, one coming from our products and the other coming from crude oil,” he said. “In terms of crude losses, it is still going on. On the average, we are losing 200,000 barrels of crude every day.”
Nigeria’s security forces had in the wake of the discovery promised to tighten security on the country’s pipelines. In a bid to strengthen security on the pipelines, the Federal Government awarded a multi-billion-naira pipelines surveillance deal to Tantita Security Services Limited led by former militant leader Government Ekpemepulo aka Tompolo.
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Despite criticisms of the move, the Minister of State for Petroleum Senator Heineken Lokpobiri believes it was the right step.
“I want to also use the opportunity to express our gratitude to Tantita who has been commissioned by the NNPCL to be able to do some work but we are going to do a lot more,” he said in August after a tour of oil facilities in the Niger Delta.
A new law, the Petroleum Industry Bill, passed in 2021 after years of debate and delays aimed to bring more foreign investment in the oil sector with amendments to regulations, royalties, and taxes.
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This menace of oil theft is set to pit TSSL against the Nigerian Navy as the two organisations are currently engaging in a war of words, accusation and counter-accusation.
Trouble started when on Thursday, December 7, 2023, when the Nigerian Navy said that the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, (FOB) IGBOKODA in Ondo on Wednesday 6 December 2023 at about 10:00pm detected and arrested in the early hours of Thursday 7 December 2023 at about 3.00am, a 77-meter-long Motor Tanker (MT) VINNALARIS 1 LAGOS.
According to the Navy, the vessel had 17 crew members onboard at the time of arrest and they were caught engaging in illegal siphoning of crude oil from one of the well heads at EBESAN oil field about 7 nautical miles off the coast of Awoye riverine community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
“The apprehension of the vessel was based on credible intelligence received by the Base on the illegal activities of crude oil thieves at the location which informed the swift deployment of FOB IGBOKODA personnel to enforce the arrest of the vessel and her crew.
Notably, as the anti-Crude Oil Theft Patrol Team of FOB IGBOKODA approached MT VINNALARIS 1 LAGOS, the 2 x boats attached to the vessel fled on sighting the naval personnel which confirmed the engagement of the vessel in illegality. Accordingly, on arrival at the scene, it was discovered that the vessel was actively involved in siphoning crude oil from both sides of the well head. Consequently, upon further search and interrogation, it was further discovered that the vessel had onboard 17 crew members of Nigerian nationality. The vessel’s storage capacity is about 15,000 metric tonnes and as at the time of arrest she had loaded about 500 Metric tonnes of crude oil.
The arrest of MT VINNALARIS 1 LAGOS attests to the Nigerian Navy’s determination to curb crude oil theft and all manners of illegalities in Nigeria’s maritime domain. All criminals and their cohorts are hereby warned that the Nigerian Navy will use all legitimate means at its disposal to track and arrest perpetrators of illegalities in Nigeria’s maritime environment. While individuals carrying out legitimate business are advised to go about their legitimate activities, the Navy solicits the cooperation of patriotic and well – meaning members of the public to promptly report any form of criminalities especially in the coastal communities to the Nigerian Navy for necessary action.
Navy then dropped a bombshell that “Furthermore, it is believed that Tantita Security Service (TSS) is involved in these illegalities because Awoye riverine area which is close to the place of arrest is covered by TSS. Again, it was upon the arrest of the vessel by the Nigerian Navy that TSS began to raise false alarm, totally unfounded and indeed mischievous. Nonetheless, the Nigerian Navy remains resolute in the pursuit of her constitutional mandate for the protection of Nigeria’s Maritime Environment for national economic development and prosperity” the statement by Commodore, AO Ayo-Vaughan, Director of Information, Nigerian Navy stated.
In a swift reaction, Tantita Security Service Limited fired back at the Navy describing the allegation as libelous, and defamatory.
According to the Executive Director – Operations and Technical Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited Capt. Warredi Enisuoh in a statement called for a probe of the activities of the Nigerian Navy.
The statement said: “The activities going on inside the Nigerian Navy’s FalconEye should be investigated as the ship was only a few kilometers off the coast of Ondo State, well within view of the Nigerian Navy’s FalconEye, but they never reacted”.
“We are indeed saddened and disappointed that the Nigerian Navy could descend so low as to make such bizarre accusations against our organisation knowing the same to be false,” he added.
“Perhaps they are not aware that video evidence of what transpired between the Tantita operatives and the Nigerian Navy at the scene exists and has been transmitted to the highest authorities.
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“We will therefore not join issues with the Nigerian Navy as we are well aware that Nigerians know who is who.”
It is left to be seen how this issue will be resolved and how Nigeria will move forward in combatting this menace.
