How We Uncovered 34 Illegal Refineries, Pipeline Connections in Niger Delta

2 weeks ago 10

A man works at an illegal oil refinery site near river Nun in Nigeria’s oil state of Bayelsa November 27, 2012. Thousands of people in Nigeria engage in a practice known locally as ‘oil bunkering’ – hacking into pipelines to steal crude then refining it or selling it abroad. The practice, which leaves oil spewing from pipelines for miles around, managed to lift around a fifth of Nigeria’s two million barrel a day production last year according to the finance ministry. Picture taken November 27, 2012. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye (NIGERIA – Tags: BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY INDUSTRIAL ENERGY) ATTENTION EDITORS – PICTURE 23OF 28 FOR PACKAGE ‘NIGERIA’S ILLEGAL OIL BUNKERERS’. SEARCH ‘OIL BUNKERING’ FOR ALL IMAGES – RTR3CGYO

Thirty-four illegal refineries and 17 pipeline connections were uncovered in various stated of the Niger Delta region, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has said.

The illegal operations, the company said were all uncovered within the space of one week.

In a documentary shared on its official YouTube Channel, the NNPCL said the operations by the criminals were uncovered under its ‘War On Crude Oil Theft’.

According to the video the operations were carried out between November 30 and December 6, 2024, as part of its commitment to ending crude oil theft in Nigeria.

The NNPC also stated that a total of 94 oil theft incidents were recorded in parts of Bayelsa, Rivers and Abia States.

“In a series of coordinated operations, illegal pipelines were discovered and dismantled at key hotspots – Ogboingbiri, Ejehinkiri, Alabelema in Bayelsa state.

“And Okrika 7 in Rivers state witnessed swift action as security forces uncovered illicit setup used by perpetrators to exploit Nigeria’s resources,” it’s said.