Oficial say government loses over FCFA 2,581 billion annually to Niger Delta oil thieves.

Nigeria’s Niger Delta yesterday November 11 witnessed the beginning of a massive, week-long military operation as the Nigerian Navy began flushing out crude oil thieves who have been bleeding the country’s oil industry through illegal bunkering. For this purpose, the Navy deployed eight warships, six gunboats and three helicopters, including aircraft used for maritime patrol by the Nigerian Air Force.

A statement signed by Rear Admiral E.O. Ogbor said the offensive was in line with the mandate given to Nigerian Navy by President Goodluck Jonathan to stamp out the prevalence of illegal maritime activities - particularly crude oil theft, illegal oil bunkering and piracy in the Niger Delta. The statement added that the operation that will be under the personal command of the new Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral D.J. Ezeoba, will focus on the Bonny-Akassa-Escravos axis of the Niger Delta that is known to be main area of oil theft. The operation is known as ‘Farauta’ or ‘hunting’ in Hausa.

According to the Nigerian Tribune newspaper, the offensive comes on the heels of activities of oil thieves and the brazen manner they operate in the Niger Delta on a daily basis, costing the government approximately Five billion U.S. dollars (about FCFA 2,581 billion) in oil revenue losses annually. Reliable sources said oil thieves now embark on corporate social responsibilities by building roads, hospitals, schools and engaging in other community development projects in order to protect their interests in local communities.

Security sources alleged that influential Nigerians were behind the operations of the oil thieves that had become better organised because of the alleged porosity of Nigeria’s waterways. The thieves are usually heavily armed and operate with big barges with which they steal oil by drilling big holes on pipelines. The ruptured portions are then fitted with big hoses that could stretch for kilometres.

These hoses are passed under water to the locations of barges or surface tanks. Most times, the ruptured pipelines are not detected on time by officials of affected oil companies. Foreign collaborators, it was explained, help the thieves to sell the crude oil and also procure arms which are then smuggled into the country.