Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL and security agencies on Friday, tracked, intercepted, and destroyed two oil vessels and two cars with stolen crude in Agge Community, Ekere-mor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, a source close to the security companies told News Point Nigeria, an online newspaper.
Operatives of Tantita Security Services (owned by ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo) engaged by the NNPC for pipeline surveillance in June 2022, were said to have carried out the raid after they got an intel report about the location of the theft on December 22.
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According to the source, four people were arrested while a few others escaped shortly before the raid, and the large vessels and vehicles were destroyed by the authorities during the raid.
It could be recalled that in November last year, an ad hoc committee of the Senate, undertook an investigation into the impact of the oil theft and it reported that only 66% of the country’s oil production could be “effectively guaranteed”.
The other 33%, it said, was affected by theft and lost production “due to the third party easy access on land terrain”.
“The country has lost over $2 Billion to oil theft between January and August 2022, which lost revenue ordinarily would have supported the country, fiscal deficits and budget implementation,” the report added.
