Metro News

Oil thieves stole $3.27bn crude in 14 months – FG

Published

2 years ago

March 25, 2022

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The Federal Government has raised the alarm over the rising rate of crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, disclosing that about $3.27 billion worth of oil had been lost to vandalism and theft in the past 14 months.

The government also said high-level cases of oil theft had become a threat to the country’s corporate and economic existence, with the industry now thinking of transporting crude oil from fields to export terminals by trucks.

This came on a day the Defence Headquarters announced the destruction of 49 illegal refineries and arrest of 70 oil thieves and pipeline vandals in the Niger Delta.

In a presentation at a stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja yesterday, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, said the government is extremely worried about the huge loss of oil revenue to vandals.

‘Crude theft mostly from Bonny, Brass, Forcados’

Chief Executive of NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe, who disclosed this, said much of the crude oil losses came from Bonny Terminal Network, Forcados Terminal Network and Brass Terminal Network.

He listed factors aiding the criminal activities to include economic challenges, inadequate security, poor surveillance, poor community engagements, exposed facilities and stakeholders’ compromises, stressing that due to the high level of theft, the country had been unable to meet its OPEC production quota.

Komolafe said the government was determined to end the menace, so the country could benefit from the rising price of oil and also protect the environment from oil spills.

He said: “The issue of oil theft has become a very worrisome one to the government of Nigeria and I believe to you as investors too.”

He said it was important that government and oil companies work together to resolve the issue, especially on the agreed volume of oil lost to vandals, since the issues strike at the heart of federation revenue.

READ Stopped in their tracks: Police ‘thwart’ operation as oil thieves vandalise NNPC pipeline in Lagos community

“You will recall that in the last one week, we have set up a crack team to determine the accurate figure because as a government, we cannot continue to act on the basis of an abstract or inaccurate figure in dealing with an important issue as crude oil theft because the issue goes to the heart of federation revenue.

“The concern of the government is to increase our national oil production. Basically, we are an oil economy and when the upstream is sick, it affects the well being and health of the country.

“The situation happening in the upstream is getting to the level of threat to the existence and well-being of Nigeria. As responsible regulators, we are very concerned about it.

“We have been doing a lot and we are not relenting. We will do everything possible to increase oil production in a manner that will make the nation benefit from the upward swing in the international price of crude oil,” Komolafe added.

Reacting to proposals by some operators that crude oil could be transported by trucks as an alternative measure, the NUPRC boss stated: “I quite agree that alternative evacuations that are being proposed now will be just an intervention mechanism that cannot be a permanent solution to the problem we are facing.

“I will take note of that as a regulator because already, people are pressured by the challenge to look for alternative solutions. They are seeing it (trucking) as a solution but they are not having a long-term look at the effect that the criminals could equally switch their strategies (to attack the trucks).”

It’s organized crime – IOCs

In his presentation, the Chairman/Managing Director of ExxonMobil, Richard Laing, who represented the Oil Producers Trade Section, OPTS, of Lagos Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that though the issue is not new, it had grown from just oil theft to organized criminality, with the sophisticated operation.

READ NSCDC intercepts 150 drums of petrol being smuggled to Cameroon

He said: “As an industry, I know how hard my colleagues work to produce products that we need and to suffer the level of theft that we have is disheartening. But more importantly, it is a threat to investments, a threat to the health of the industry and wealth of the nation

“It is important that the stakeholders integrate their activities and their thoughts. As OPTS, we have met with a number of stakeholders over the last several months and we want to make sure that whatever we do is joined up and effective.

“The language is very important and I think we use theft rather quickly. I don’t think this is theft, this is organized criminal activity. The level of sophistication in terms of tapping into the pipelines, the distributions, efforts required to move hundreds of thousands of barrels a day isn’t some guy coming along and tapping into a pipeline and taking container crude oil. It is organized criminality.’’

82% of production was stolen in Feb

On its part, the Independent Petroleum Producers Group, IPPG, disclosed that about 82 per cent of its oil production was stolen in the month of February 2022.

Represented by the Managing Director of Waltersmith Petroman, Chikeze Nwosu, the group said independent producers are facing existential threats.

Nwosu explained that the oil theft challenge had grown from what it used to be in the past when it was just about four per cent, lamenting that it was as high as 91 per cent in December 2021.

“The TNP (Trans Niger Pipeline) is the major issue. We have seen crude theft grow from single-digit percentages to 91 per cent in December for some of the operators who produce into the TNP, 75 per cent in January and the February report we got has an average of 82 per cent,” he said.

READ NSCDC arrests 10 suspected oil thieves with over 28,000 litres of diesel

Nwosu pointed out that the situation seemed to be getting worse, despite all efforts to curb it, and called for urgent action from the government and stakeholders.

FG reads riot act to oil thieves

At a separate on-the-spot assessment of some pipelines damaged by vandals at Ibaa community in Emeoha Local Government Area of Rivers State, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said the Federal Government would no longer condone any form of criminality in the nation’s oil and gas facilities and installations.

He said aside from causing huge losses for the country, the criminals involved in pipeline vandalism are also destroying the livelihoods of locals and the environment.

To resolve the issue, he said: “The community must be involved; the security arm must be involved and the third arm, which is the operating public must be involved. I want to let everybody know that these criminals have their days numbered because the country has lost so much from their activities.”

Also speaking, General Irabor, who said the military will deploy a different strategy and a new drive by pursuing not only the criminals, but also their sponsors, said: “We are not only zeroing in on the criminals, but also on those who are supporting them.”

On his part, the GMD/CEO of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC, Mele Kyari, lamented that the scale of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism seen now was beyond explanation, adding that all hands must be on deck to contain the spate of crude oil losses in the country.

While appreciating the current leadership of the military, Kyari expressed confidence that through a collaborative effort of government, security agencies, host communities and oil companies and deployment of the right technology, the menace would be contained.

Metro News

Dark Sunday: 19 people burnt to death in Okene-Lokoja highway auto crash

Published

18 hours ago

April 28, 2024

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Nineteen people were, on Sunday, burnt to death in an auto crash along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi state.

In a statement by Jonas Agwu, its public education officer, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said the accident involved a Dangote truck with registration details NSH680YJ and a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number KMC455ZE.

According to the FRSC, both vehicles suffered a head-on collision after a route violation by the truck, resulting in an inferno.

The agency said out of the all-male 22 passengers involved in the accident, three were rescued.

“The TYT bus loaded from Kano was on its lane on the highway when the Dangote Truck driver who drove all the way from Port Harcourt wrongfully overtook a vehicle & collided head-on with the bus. The impact of the collision resulted in an inferno that burnt the victims to death,” the statement reads.

“Unfortunately, 19 people out of the 22 victims were killed and 1 injured. The remaining 2 victims who got rescued by FRSC operatives without injuries survived the crash because they complied with traffic regulations on compulsory use of seatbelt.

READ Stopped in their tracks: Police ‘thwart’ operation as oil thieves vandalise NNPC pipeline in Lagos community

“The corpses of the dead victims whose lives were claimed by the crash have been deposited at Okene General Hospital.”

Dauda Biu, the FRSC corps marshal, said the agency will continue its ongoing prosecution of drivers “who by their actions cause road traffic crashes in Nigeria”.

Biu further called on the judiciary and leadership of transport unions and other relevant stakeholders in the road transportation sector to join hands with the corps to ensure speedy and effective prosecution of offenders.

Metro News

Man trying to escape arrest drowns in Lagos Lagoon

Published

20 hours ago

April 28, 2024

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A man, simply identified as Azeez, has allegedly jumped into the lagoon in Lagos and drowned while trying to evade arrest for stealing some bags of cement.

The Spokesperson of the Police Command in Lagos, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this on Sunday.

Hundeyin said that the Director in charge of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) operations in Lagos Central, (name not mentioned), reported the case to Ikoyi Police Division on Friday at about 12.20 p.m.

Hundeyin said that the director reported that at about 10.45 a.m. on Friday, he received a call that there was an incident at Lekki/Ikoyi Link Bridge.

According to him, on getting to the scene, he met a large crowd gathered by the waterside, watching the lifeless body of a man who had drowned.

“The deceased was later identified as Azeez. He was later confirmed dead by paramedics of Pre Hospital Care, Lagos.

“It was discovered that one Elijah Amos, the seller of the cement, was pursuing the deceased before he jumped into the Lagoon because he was alleged to have stolen some bags of cement,” Hundeyin said.

READ Rivers NSCDC arrests 19 suspected oil thieves

Hundeyin said that the scene was visited by the police, while the corpse had been evacuated to Mainland General Hospital Mortuary, Yaba, for autopsy and preservation.

He added that an investigation into the case was in progress.

Metro News

Two notorious drug kingpins bag life imprisonment for Cocaine trafficking

Published

1 day ago

April 28, 2024

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Two notorious drug kingpins, Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian and Agbo Chidike Prince, will now spend the rest of their lives in jail, following their arrests and prosecution by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The sentencing of the two drug kingpins was disclosed in a statement signed by the spokesperson of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, and made available to Channels Television on Sunday.

He said that the journey of Uwaezuoke, a 43-year-old businessman to a lifetime in jail began when he was first arrested by NDLEA operatives on 19th March 2022 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia after he was found to have ingested 100 big wraps of cocaine weighing 2.243 kilograms.

“He was subsequently arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022 and was granted bail on certain conditions after he pleaded not guilty. He thereafter absconded, leading the court to revoke his bail and issue an arrest warrant against him.

“In a curious twist, Uwaezuoke was again arrested by NDLEA operatives on 1st August 2023, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos while attempting to export 1.822 kilograms of cocaine to India through ingestion using a different passport and under a different name, Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi.

“He was again arraigned before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division in charge number FHC/L/554C/2023. He pleaded guilty to the two counts charge and was convicted and sentenced on 18th October 2023 to a total term of seven years of imprisonment or a fine of ₦1, 500,000.00. He paid the fine and was transferred to Abuja to face the importation case pending against him.

READ Buyers lament high cost of food items at Christmas

“He was re-arraigned on 20th March 2024 at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022 before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik, where he pleaded guilty again. Despite his plea, the court, noting his lack of remorse, the seriousness of drug-related offences and the fact that he is a repeated offender, convicted and sentenced him to life imprisonment,” the statement said.

In the case of 42-year-old Agbo Chidike Prince, Babafemi said he was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja during the outward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines flight to Hong Kong on 21st October 2023 for ingesting 49 wraps of cocaine weighing 998.73grams.

“Upon his arraignment before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, the defendant pleaded guilty to the one count charge, prompting the prosecution to present evidence and review the facts of the case.

“Despite the plea of allocutus by the defendant’s counsel, the court, noting the nature of the case and the commercial quantity of the drug, emphasized the seriousness of drug-related offences, convicted and sentenced the defendant on 15th April, 2024 to life imprisonment.”

Meanwhile, NDLEA said its officers at the gate C departure hall of the Lagos airport on Friday 26th April arrested a passenger, Yahaya Danjuma Oturah, while attempting to export 4,000 pills of tramadol 225mg to Malpensa, Italy on an Ethiopian Airline flight.

READ A must-read: Police reveal new fraudsters’ tactic

The Agency further narrated, “The psychoactive substance was found concealed in women wears and granulated melon packed in the suspect’s backpack and another bag containing food items. In his statement, Oturah who is a frequent flyer confessed he was hired to courier the drug for 700 Euros on successful delivery of the consignment in Italy.

“In Bayelsa, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 24th April arrested 28-year-old Jennifer Iliya at Amarata area of Yenagoa for producing and distributing cakes laced with illicit drugs especially cannabis sativa. At the time of her arrest, substantial number of the drugged cakes weighing 1.5kg were recovered from her. A 20-year-old hair stylist, Josephine Odunu and a dispatch rider, Edesemi Ikporo, 30, had been arrested on Sunday 10th March by NDLEA operatives for in Yenagoa for a similar offence.

“Two suspects: Joseph Dadik, 47, and Bensha Yari, 32, were arrested with 24,180 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 135.5 kilograms at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, while Adamu Umar, 18, was nabbed with 20.700kg cannabis when his house in Shuware area of Mubi, Adamawa state was raided on Friday 26th April.

“No less than 310.7kg cannabis was recovered on Thursday 25th April when NDLEA operatives raided parts of Mushin in Lagos state. While 300kg was seized at Olatunji Street, Mushin, 10.7kg of same substance was retrieved from two suspects: Tijani Wasiu and Suleiman Aisha at Anifowose, Mushin.

READ Despite being married, men still run after me – Anita Joseph cries out

“While Stanley Chukwudi, 43, was arrested with 5,900 ampoules of pentazocine injection at Sabon Gari area of Kano State on Thursday 25th April, a couple, Fredrick Odion, 53, and Gladys Odion, 52, were nabbed with 50kg cannabis at Iruekpen, Esan west LGA, Edo state by NDLEA officers on Wednesday 24th April.

“With the same zeal, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaign in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and staff of Federal Government College, Nise, Anambra; Royal Institute of Health Technology, Ifo, Ogun state; Akpugo-Eze High School, Oji-River, Enugu; Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Adamawa; and Jubilee Secondary School, Ore, Ondo state, among others.

“While commending the officers and men of the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services of the Agency for the diligent prosecution of Uwazuoke and Agbo cases, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) said the success rate of cases prosecuted by the agency has shown that there’s no escape route for those involved in the illicit trade of drug trafficking.

“He equally applauded those of MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Edo, Adamawa and Bayelsa Commands as well as their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their drug supply and drug demand reduction activities.”