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Mele Kyari, the Managing Director of NNPC Limited has raised concern over the rampant and brazen crude oil theft plaguing the Niger Delta region.
During a meeting with EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede on Monday, Kyari emphasised the severity of crude oil theft, describing it as the most significant economic crime in Nigeria that demands the attention of the EFCC.
Kyari said NNPC has deactivated 6,409 illegal refineries and disconnected 4,846 illegal pipes connected to NNPC pipelines.
However, he highlighted the persistent challenge posed by the remaining illegal connections, indicating the ongoing prevalence of crude oil theft in the region.
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his words, “We have deactivated 6,409 illegal refineries in the Niger Delta region. Today, we have disconnected up to 4,846 illegal pipes connected to our pipelines, that is out of 5,543 such illegal connection points. That means there are a vast number of such connections that we have not removed.
“These things don’t just happen from the blues. They happen in communities and locations we all know. As we remove one illegal connection, another one comes up. It is sad, Mr. Chairman.”
“This kind of thing does not happen anywhere else in the world. When we say illegal connections, they are not invisible things, they are big pipes that require some level of expertise to be installed. Some of them are of the same size as the trunk line itself. No one would produce crude oil knowing fully well that it is not going to get to the terminal. That is why nobody is putting money into the business. So, you can’t grow production.”
Kyari, however, urged the EFCC to intensify efforts to combat crude oil theft and support NNPC in its quest to safeguard Nigeria’s oil resources.
