The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bashir Bayo Ojulari, has given an insight into how crude oil is being stolen in Nigeria by international syndicates.

He said that specialised international and continental gangs take advantage of security gaps in the waterways to steal crude across Africa which they sell to ready markets overseas.

Ojulari spoke at the opening of the Africa Chief of Defence Staff Conference in Abuja, on Monday.

Though the meeting is for African defence chiefs, Burkina Faso and Mali did not send representatives, a carry-over from the countries’ aloofness from both ECOWAS and Au events since they pulled out of ECOWAS following the enthronement of military governments in both countries.

Political Economist NG recalls that along with Niger Republic, Mali and Burkina Faso withdrew from regional bloc ECOWAS in January, after forming their Alliance of Sahel States group.

Ojulari while explaining the complexity of oil theft, said crude oil theft has continental and international dimensions and could only be tackled effectively through collaboration and synergy among various military formations within the continent.

“Crude theft and its attendant illegal activities are by no means a purely localised occurrence; rather, these operations involve specialised international syndicates that take advantage of gaps within the state, national and continental security architecture to conduct illegal activities,” he said.

Ojulari however said that cases of crude oil theft has dimmed , together with pipeline vandalism, especially within the Niger Delta region.

“Security forms a key pillar of the energy business and therefore plays a very important and strategic role in achieving national, regional and continental energy security goals,” he said.

Ojulari said as the head of the largest national oil company on the continent, “we have seen the benefit of the collaboration within the energy space, with significant improvement in our operating environment”.

“The dilapidating impact of crude theft, low pipeline availability and attacks are issues that have become stories of the past for us.

“These have come from the immense and intentional efforts of our government agencies across the nation and, in particular, within the Niger Delta.

“Today, I can proudly report to you all that our pipelines and terminals’ receipt of crude oil, which was somewhere as low as 20% to 30%, we are attaining close to 100% due to the support of the security forces and the intelligence agencies,” he added.

Crude theft had been a major source of worry for African economies especially the oil-producing nations with some of them losing billions of dollars to the illicit trade.

However, investigations over the years have proven that oil theft does not occur without collaboration from top guns in the governments and public service bureaucracies of the affected countries.

Dignitaries at the event include President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed; Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa; ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Touray; Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahamoud Youssouf; former Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, Ibrahim Gambari; and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji.