The country that took a decade to realize that hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil were being stolen every day

The discovery of a network of illegal oil pipelines in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria has revealed the extent of oil theft, which is part of a shadowy but hugely lucrative oil industry in the country.

In the state of Delta, in the south of the country, thieves built its own 4 km long pipeline through the heavily guarded creeks to the Atlantic Ocean.

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There, boats brazenly loaded the stolen oil from a platform of about 7 meters visible from kilometers in the open sea.

“It was a professional job”said the head of the state-owned oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mele Kyari, as he walked on a swampy and slippery path during a televised visit to the site.

suspicions of corruption

Crude oil is Nigeria’s top export, but production and revenue have been declining for years due to theft, authorities say.

oil production fell from 2.5 million barrels per day in 2011 to just over a million in July 2022according to the regulatory body.

Authorities say more than $3.3 billion has been lost to crude oil theft since last year.

The head of Nigeria’s state oil company leads a security team through a trail of oil left behind by thieves. (NNPC).

This is happening at a time when other producers are squandering petrodollars and Nigeria can’t even meet its production quota.

And it’s not like the country can afford to lose money to crooks, since it’s mired in widespread poverty and huge debt.

Many say that the recent discovery of the illegal oil pipelines confirms the long-standing suspicions of massive corruption in the sectorwhere there is little transparency.

Nigeria’s oil industry has a documented history of corruption, from an endless fuel subsidy scheme where no one really knows how much is imported, to the obscure allocation of oil exploration areas.

Tompolo

That the theft was discovered by a private security company and not by the authorities also increased anger and suspicion.

But Government Ekpemupolo, known as Tompolois not your ordinary private security contractor.

Tompolo wields enormous influence in the Niger Delta region. (JACOB ABAI).

The 51-year-old head of the Gbaramatu kingdom in the oil-rich Delta state was once involved in blowing up the very pipelines he now protects thanks to the award of a controversial 48 billion naira ($110 million) contract. of the government at the end of August.

He is arguably Nigeria’s richest ex-oil militant, once the country’s most wanted man, and at one point even sold a fleet of warships to the state.

He also knows the geography of the Niger Delta, the oil wells and the official pipelines, which is why many believe his comments about the identity of the thieves.

“Many of the security people are involved ‘Cause there’s no way you can load a ship without fixing [sobornar] security people in that region,” Tompolo told TV Channels.

He also suggested that much of the oil was stolen from precisely those areas where there were government checkpoints. army and navy.

The military did not respond to these accusations, but they are unlikely to openly contradict a man they have partnered with to crack down on oil theft.

Lucky Irabor, chief of Nigeria’s Defense Staff, who was part of the convoy that followed the thieves’ trail escorted by Tompolo’s men, said it was a “revelation” and promised an investigation.

Background

This is not the first time that Nigeria’s security agencies, especially top brass in the army and navy, have been accused of oil theft.

In January, Nyesom Wike, governor of neighboring Rivers state, said a police superintendent was involved in oil theft in the Emuoha area of ​​that state and wanted him fired.

In 2019, Wike also accused a high-ranking military commander of involvement in a massive oil theft in the state, which was denied.

Private security contractors brought Nigerian security personnel to the scene of the massive oil theft. (JACOB ABAI).

That corruption on this scale happened directly under the president Muhammadu Buhariwho also holds the position of Nigerian Oil Minister,calls into question its stance in the fight against corruptionsaid Salaudeen Hashim of the CLEEN Foundation, an anti-corruption NGO.

Buhari was elected in 2015 on a promise to fight corruption, but many question how effective his rule was.

“The extent of the ongoing oil theft may not be fully known until this administration leaves office in May,” one analyst told the BBC.

lucrative industry

Since its independence in 1960, Nigeria has been ruled on and off by the military who seized power through coups, leaving behind a trail of corruption financed through the vast oil and gas industry in the Niger Delta.

Officer deployments to the region to protect oil facilities are considered lucrative by both top security officials and the base, who make lobby and pay bribes to get them, Hashim said.

“Once there, it’s a race [de todos los niveles] to accumulate illegal wealth,” he added.

The recent burning of a ship seized on charges of carrying 650,000 liters of stolen crude in Delta state has also drawn attention.

Nigerian security agents raid the hideouts of oil thieves, but have been accused of stealing the oil. (AFP).

Many questioned why security agents were so quick to destroy evidence – part of Tompolo’s recent success – but Nigeria’s defense chief said that as the seized ship was smuggling stolen oil, an investigation was not necessary.

Tompolo’s motivation to crack down on crude theft has left many puzzled.

He gets paid for it and has spoken enthusiastically of his love for Nigeria and the Niger Delta environment, but this is the same Tompolo, many say, who blew up oil pipelines in the past.

As one expert noted, the illegal pipelines discovered by Tompolo have so far been in the Delta state, where he wields enormous power.

It is unlikely that anyone would have peacefully operated such facilities on their territory for years without their knowledge, they said.

There have been deadly clashes in the past between security forces and armed militants operating in the region, but things have been relatively quiet for years, with many saying that deep down there is an agreement by both sides not to interfere in “business.” ” of the other.

The only losers, it seems, are law-abiding Nigerians and perhaps the oil companies. The latter also do not win much sympathy in the country.

Source: Elcomercio