Oil theft, illegal refining and smuggling activities have increased in the Niger Delta as crude oil prices soar. This is to be combined with the production difficulties that the country has been experiencing since the end of last year.
In a presentation to the House of Representatives Petroleum Resources Committee on Thursday, April 7, Nigerian state-owned oil company boss Mele Kyari (pictured) urged parliamentarians to set up a special tribunal to try those involved in the value chain of oil theft The leader made this proposal, when he was summoned to explain the fall in national crude oil production. Currently, the country produces less than 1.2 million barrels of oil per day, with production falling by more than 500,000 barrels per day year-on-year.
Over the past two weeks, the Nigerian Navy has arrested dozens of people in Rivers State and many more across the region, but the phenomenon persists. For the officials of the NNPC, it is necessary to create more severe legal tools, in order to punish these offenses, considered as economic crimes. “The attack on the installations [pétrolières, Ndlr] should be punishable by life in prison. There are laws for this. All we need to do is step up advocacy for the legal process to take its course and prosecutions to be brought in a timely manner. […]. I will recommend the creation of a special tribunal for this. These cases will therefore be dealt with quickly and more efficiently.”at Kyari exposure.
Furthermore, the official described the theft of oil and illegal refining as an elitist activity, alluding to the complicity of elected officials from the states affected by the problem and officials at various levels. “We know that to sell crude oil on the international market is not the business of the ordinary people you see in the delta. It is an elitist affair and we must have the courage to put an end to it. The impact this has on our economic prospects is significant, as our ability to generate foreign currency and energy security are threatened by a very small number of people.”, he continued. Many illegal refineries have been destroyed in the past two weeks in the Niger Delta, local press reports.
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