The Group Managing Director cum Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Mele Kyari has called for the establishment of special courts for the speedy trial of crude oil thieves and pipeline vandals in Nigeria, pointing out that Nigeria lost over $1.5 billion worth of crude oil to theft between January and March 2022.
He made the call on Thursday in Abuja during an interactive session with the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream).
The GMD who blamed the drop in Nigeria’s daily crude oil production on the activities of thieves and vandals, noted that these criminal elements have become too sophisticated in the operation.
According to the GMD, the over $1.5 billion worth of crude oil lost to theft amounted to a loss of about 250,000 barrels per day.
He said that the special court became necessary to try those behind illegal refineries, adding that the forces behind the situation were elites. “We must have special court to try those behind this business, this is an elite business, it is not done by poor people,” he stated.
Kyari expressed regret that thieves and vandals have rendered some of NNPC Limited’s terminals useless, as they were forced to shut them down due to zero production. “Some of the activities are done in very professional manner. It is a daunting situation, but we’re contending with it”, he said.
He stated that some arrests had been made, involving “high calibre oil thieves”, but expressed worries over the slow pace of prosecution at the regular courts.
Speaking on the rrecent hike in the price of diesel, the GMD said it was a result of the coordinated efforts of security forces, which succeeded in seizing the product coming through illegal refineries, but that intervention of the NNPC has paid off, assuring that the price will normalise in the coming weeks.