By Augustine Aminu
The Federal Government has announced it has recovered 230,000 barrels of stolen crude oil since April 1st, and arrested 85 suspects and 72 boats.
This was disclosed in a statement by the FG yesterday, citing the success of Operation DAKATAR DA BARARWO (OPDDB), an initiative between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the Nigerian Navy to curb crude oil theft that has limited Nigeria’s earnings capacity from sale of crude oil.
Nigeria lost $1 billion of crude oil to thieves in the first quarter of the year, and also earned just 39% of its projected oil earnings for the same period due to crude theft.
The seizures announced includes 23 million litres of diesel, 230,882 barrels of crude oil, 345,000 litres of PMS and 649,775 litres of DPK. Also, 85 suspects were arrested, 71 boats seized, 127 ovens were destroyed, 102 large pits, 148 storage tanks and 35 pumping machines were recovered.
Nigeria lost $1 billion worth of crude oil to thieves in the first quarter of the year, and also earned just 39% of its projected oil earnings for the same period due to crude theft.
Recall that the Managing Director of Chevron Nigeria/Mid-Africa Business Unit, Richard Kennedy had described crude oil theft in Nigeria as an organized crime that should be differentiated completely from host community issues.
Last week, the Trans-Niger pipeline, an oil pipeline which is capable of moving 180,000 barrels of crude every day across Nigeria, has stopped transporting the product since the middle of June as a result of theft.
