Tag: Crude oil

Alleged $2.4bn Crude Oil Illegal Sale: H/Reps may issue arrest warrant on AGF, Fin. Minister

Aminu Imam

The House of Representatives has threatened to issue warrant of arrest on the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, as well as the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, if they fail to appear for its on-going probe on sale of 48 million barrels of crude oil amounting to over $2.4 billion, and crude oil export to global destinations. The House ad-hoc committee investigating an alleged loss of over $2.4 billion from illegal sale of 48 million barrels of crude oil export in 2015, including crude…

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Stakeholders seek stiffer penalties for crude oil thieves

Aminu Imam

Stakeholders at a one-day meeting to discuss crude oil/products stealing in the country have lamented the economic impact, hence have made a call for stiffer penalties for culprits. The One-Day Stakeholders Conference on Oil Theft/Losses in Abuja, on Tuesday, was organised by Chairman of the Panel and Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme PAP Maj.-Gen. Barry Ndiomu. Speaking as a Special Guest, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo stressed that so grievous a crime cannot simply be a subject of summitry;  but that“people must do their jobs and if they are unable to…

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Former DPR, NUPRC, attributes 40% of crude losses to measurement faults, not theft

Aminu Imam

Approximately 40 percent of the volumes credited to crude losses in the Nigerian petroleum industry are attributable to measurement inaccuracies and not theft as often reported. The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, stated this at the Petroleum Club Quarterly Dinner, which was held in Lagos. Komolafe said the revelation followed a forensic audit conducted by the Commission between January 2020 to November 2022 on crude theft numbers, to ascertain with accuracy the stolen volume of crude oil within the reference period. Delivering his address…

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Oil theft: ‘7-yr-old’ illegal tapping point uncovered in Rivers community 

Aminu Imam

An illegal tapping point on the Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP) has been uncovered in the Nonwa Uedume community, of Tai local government area, Rivers State. The Executive Chairman of Tai LGA, Rivers, Mbakpone Okpe, led the discovery team to the site on Monday. Others present at the site include security operatives of the Nigerian Army, officers of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tai local security task force and pipeline surveillance contractors. Speaking on the incident, the Executive Director, Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, in an issued…

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‘$1bn crude oil shipped as illegal export from Nigeria between 2016-2019’ – AuGF Report

Aminu Imam

Crude oil, Nigeria’s main export, continues to dwindle from the effect of scandalous corruption in the oil sector as a report by the Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF), has revealed the latest news of sleaze in the country’s oil and gas shipping. According to the AuGF’s report, more than 17.877 million barrels of crude oil, “valued at $1,020,969,281.12 (One billion, twenty million, nine hundred and sixty-nine thousand, two hundred and eighty-one dollars, twelve cents only), were exported from 2016 to 2019 without proper documentation. According to the report, which was…

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Crude Oil Thefts: “We have no record of ships working on Nigerian oil fields” – NIMASA

Aminu Imam

In the face of on-going bursts on crude oil thefts and illegal activities taking place in Nigerian oil fields, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), has said that it has no record or access to the ships coming into the oil fields through the International Oil Companies (IOCs). Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari recently approved the hiring of former Niger Delta warlord, Chief Government Tompolo, and his security company, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited to check crude oil theft in the Niger Delta. The security outfit has so…

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Oil theft: Another major export pipeline of stolen 400,000bpd crude, platform uncovered

Aminu Imam

Operatives of the company owned by ex-Niger-Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo, better known as Tompolo, and security officials have uncovered a key illegal underwater pipeline attached to Trans-Forcados Export Trunkline, and a platform through which crude oil was being diverted to the high seas for export. The discovery by the company, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd (TSSNL), which is coming few days after an illegal 4-kilometre crude oil pipeline belonging to Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) was exposed, was made about a week ago by operatives of TSSNL through an exclusive…

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“Conspiracy of silence in crude oil theft” – Report

Aminu Imam

…Alleged involvement of IOCs, NOCs, foreign ship owners, security agents The rate of pipeline vandalisation, crude oil theft, sea robbery and other maritime illegalities within Nigeria’s backwaters has taken a worrisome dimension in recent times, as shown by Nigeria’s oil regulator report. In a stark revelation on the impact of oil thefts on the nation’s economy, the report stated that the country lost 141 million barrels of crude oil, an equivalent of $1bn worth of revenue in the first quarter of 2022. However, there are starling discoveries on why crude…

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Crude Oil theft: Irabor, Kyari vow to unmask operators of illegal crude oil trunkline in Delta

Aminu Imam

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor and the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mele Kyari, have vowed to unmask the saboteurs behind the illegal four-kilometre pipeline connected from Forcados terminal to the sea to siphon crude oil. Both Irabor and Kyari made the vow at the weekend, during a joint visit to the illegal loading port, which is attached to the Trans Escravos pipeline at Yokre Flow Station in Ogulagha oil field in Burutu local government area of Delta State. Recall that…

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Tompolo exposes IOCs, security officials, oil bunkerers behind Nigeria’s oil theft

Aminu Imam

…Uncovers 16 hidden tapping points on transit pipelines The Niger-Delta ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, better known as Tompolo, says surveillance outfit Tantita Security Services Limited, has discovered major tapping points on the Trans-Forcados/Ramos Pipeline in Delta State, through which International Oil Companies (IOCs), foreign ships, security officials, oil bunkerers, and locals have colluded to bleed the country over the years. The ex-militant strongly accused the security agencies of being behind the stealing of Nigeria’s crude oil. According to him, he discovered the breaches after the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited,…

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