The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has uncovered a total of 159 incidents of oil theft across the Niger Delta, including illegal refineries and pipeline connections.
A breakdown of the findings revealed 58 illegal refineries and 19 unauthorised pipeline connections discovered during operations between January 18 and January 24 2025.
A documentary released on NNPCL’s official YouTube channel on Tuesday highlighted the extent of the discoveries, which also led to the arrest of 25 suspects and the dismantling of several illegal oil installations.
“An industry-wide security collaboration to safeguard hydrocarbon infrastructure continues to yield remarkable results,” the broadcast stated.
The operations involved multiple stakeholders, including NNPCL’s Command and Control Centre, Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Ltd, Maton Engineering Nigeria Ltd, Shell Petroleum Development Company Ltd, Oando PLC, and government security agencies.
This development follows the company’s recent announcement of uncovering 55 illegal refineries and 29 unauthorised pipeline connections.
One of the major incidents reported was a breach on the Oando to NLNG Bonny gas pipeline system in Rivers State, along with cases of vandalism that disrupted gas supplies to Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG).
NNPCL also identified crude oil pipeline vandalism and illegal connections to condensate pipelines in Bayelsa, Edo, Abia, and Rivers States.
The company confirmed that all illegal connections had been removed and repairs successfully completed.
Illegal refineries were found in several locations, including Bille, Bonny, Oigu, Okoloma, Ayama, and Dema Abe in Rivers State.
A regional breakdown of the 159 incidents recorded showed:
- Seven cases in the Western Corridor
- 72 in the Central Corridor
- 41 in the Eastern Corridor
- 39 in Deep Blue Water
NNPCL reiterated its commitment to tackling crude oil theft, emphasising that its resolve to eradicate the menace remains firm.
