The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited reported last week that it has discovered a further 165 illicit refineries spread throughout the Niger Delta.
A documentary by the NNPC states that between June 15 and 21, the government and private security agencies received reports of around 400 instances of oil theft and vandalism.
According to reports, 69 unauthorised connections were found and cut in the states of Bayelsa and Rivers.
It said that there were eight instances of oil spills reported around the region as a result of vandalism or unauthorised hookups.
It was reported that an illicit loading point had been found in Warri, Delta State.
The NNPC revealed that 69 illicit refineries were allegedly found and demolished in Okrika, Rivers State, spread across multiple marshes. It was alleged that the ongoing construction of a “oven” for the illicit refining of crude oil had come to an end.
Similar refining sites were found in the states of Abia and Bayelsa at various places.
According to NNPC, 19 illicit storage facilities in the states of Delta, Imo, Rivers, Abia, and Bayelsa were found to be stocked with stolen crude and unlawfully refined goods.
It further stated that 39 boats carrying stolen oil were recovered in Rivers, Delta, and Bayelsa States, and 11 cars were seized in Delta, Akwa-Ibom, and Bayelsa States.
It further stated that eight people had been taken into custody in relation to the occurrences.
Mele Kyari, the chief executive officer of the NNPCL Group, has emphasised the necessity of combating instability in the oil and gas industry in order to boost output.
According to Kyari, vandalism and oil theft are the main causes of the country’s declining crude oil production.
“How do you increase oil production? Remove the security challenge we have in our onshore assets. As we all know, the security challenge is real. It is not just about theft; it is about the availability of the infrastructure to deliver the volume to the market.
“No one is going to put money into oil production when he knows the production will not get to the market. 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,” Kyari said.
