The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has made significant strides in combating illegal oil refining in the Niger Delta region, uncovering 122 instances of illicit activities in just one week.
A recent documentary released by the NNPCL highlighted their efforts, including the sealing of a filling station in Akwa Ibom State for selling illegally refined fuel.
Additionally, 65 illegal pipeline connections were removed in Rivers State and other areas of the Niger Delta during the same period.
The NNPCL disclosed that a total of 310 incidents were recorded between May 18 and 24, underscoring the ongoing battle against oil theft and vandalism in the region.
The filling station caught selling illicit fuel was located at Grey Creek in Akwa Ibom State.
The report also identified 122 illegal refineries in locations such as Tomble II, III, IV, and Umuajuloke in Rivers State, as well as Oporomor III, Eduwini, and Ajatiton in Bayelsa State.
Instances of vandalized wellheads were also reported in Tomble IV, Rivers State, and Egbema in Imo State.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, emphasized the critical nature of addressing oil theft to boost crude oil production and revenue.
He highlighted the need to tackle this issue to attract investment in the oil sector, stating, “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.”
