Oil Theft In Nigeria Has Worldwide Impact

In Nigeria, stolen crude oil flows out of the Niger Delta at breathtaking rates, landing in markets in Nigeria and around the world. A new study by London-based think tank Chatham House says it is not just the Nigerian authorities that are to blame. At a Niger Delta market Anna Arube sells black-market petrol from jerrycans for about 80 cents a liter. She pays the police about $3 a month not to get arrested. Even so, Arube says, the job is not without its dangers. "They should be careful over this business that we are doing because there is risk, do you understand?" - asks Arube. The biggest risk is the flammable nature of her product, she says. But there is very little risk of authorities clamping down. Until 2009, militants in the Niger Delta battled the government and oil companies, saying they were fighting for the people's right to the oil on their land. Since then, the region has quieted, but oil theft and kidnapping are still rampant.

Oil theft 'deeply engrained'

A new Chatham House report says 100,000 barrels of oil are stolen daily from the Niger Delta, about five percent of the two million plus barrel per day output. Some analysts put the total amount of stolen oil much higher, at 400,000 barrels a day. Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow John Campbell, a former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, says the problem is endemic. "The heart of the matter is oil theft is deeply engrained now in the fabric of the Niger Delta and I would suggest [in] Nigerian life generally," says Campbell. The report says military and government officials, militants, oil executives, crime rings, and communities all profit from oil theft. 

Activities of Crude Oil Thieves

 Bayelsa State governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, yesterday, described as frightening, the ongoing environmental despoliation being perpetuated by crude oil thieves in the hinterland of the state. According to him, crude oil theft was not only a threat to the country's security but to the state's revenue and its troubled ecosystem. Dickson, who spoke on the state-owned radio, Glory FM, monitored in Yenagoa, however, added that the security agencies had been directed to rid the state of all those involved in the illicit business. He noted with sadness that aside the huge revenue lost to the crude oil thieves, the environment, the only heritage of the people, was also being destroyed with impunity. Though he lauded the efforts of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, codenamed Operation Pulo Shield, in combating the crude oil theft menace, the governor said that the state government had concluded plans to establish the marine component of Operation Doo Akpo to complement the former in riding the state of oil thieves and pipeline vandals. He said: "Oil theft is not just a threat to our revenue, it is actually a threat to the security of our country. We, being a coastal state, are victims of what is what is going on. "We have lost a lot of revenue. Our revenue has drastically dwindled. As a matter of fact, last month, we almost had a zero balance after meeting our current liabilities because the earnings of the state in the last five months have reduced so much. "We are working with the security agencies who I believe are trying their best. It is clear that they need to sit up and do more, particularly, the JTF that is supposed to be guarding the oil installations. I have held series of meetings with the oil companies and made it clear to them that they need to sit up and do more. "I had also made a case for them to have more presence here so that our people can easily connect with them and their facilities. But right now, they are still more as buccaneers. Our people don't feel they have a stake in their facilities and so on. That is not right." 

Army Committed to Fight Against Oil Theft 

Commander of 2 Brigade and sector 2 operations of Joint Military Task Force Brig. Gen. Osasogie Uzamere said yesterday that the Army is committed to the fight against oil theft. Brig. Gen Uzamere, who spoke in Port Harcourt, while receiving seven units of 200 Horse Power out board engine donated to the Joint Military Task Force by the Nigerian liquidified Natural Gas (NLNG), said the new engine will assist them in the fight against oil theft and illegal marine activities. "I thank NLNG on behalf of Chief of Army Staff for this kind gesture. By this donation, you have contributed to the fight to eradicate oil theft and ensure safety of our waterways. We will make judicious use of the engine,"Source: http://allafrica.com