The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bashir Ojulari, has warned that crude oil theft in Africa is no longer a local crime. He said international cartels now drive the trade, exploiting weak security systems across the continent.
Ojulari made the remarks on Monday in Abuja at the opening of the Africa Chiefs of Defence Staff Conference, where military leaders met to tackle regional security threats.
“Oil theft is no longer a backyard operation. It is run by organised international syndicates who exploit gaps in state and continental security,” Ojulari told defence chiefs.
Nigeria’s Fight Against Crude Theft
Ojulari admitted Nigeria has struggled for decades with pipeline vandalism and crude theft in the Niger Delta. But he said stronger security operations have produced significant progress.
“Security is not an adjunct to the oil business; it is the foundation of energy security. Our sector has improved because of the deliberate efforts of security agencies,” he said.
He revealed that crude receipts at NNPCL pipelines and export terminals—once reduced to 20–30 percent at the height of theft—are now near full capacity.
“We owe this recovery to sustained action by the military and intelligence services,” he added.
Oil Theft: A Continental Threat
The NNPCL chief urged African countries to treat oil theft as a shared challenge. He warned that no single nation can fight international cartels alone.
“The losses are continental, the actors international, and the response must be collective,” he stressed.
Key Dignitaries Present
The conference attracted several high-level participants, including:
- Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Tinubu
- United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed
- National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu
- Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa
- ECOWAS Commission President Omar Touray
- AU Commission Chairperson Mahamoud Youssouf
- Former UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari
- FIRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji