A delegation sent by President Bola Tinubu to investigate oil theft in the Niger Delta has discovered an unauthorized oil connection on Saturday in Abia State.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) claimed in a statement, that the illicit connection found in Owaza, Abia State, costs the nation an average of $7.2 million every month.
According to NNPCL, illegal refineries and the environmental destruction resulted in significant economic losses for the country.
Members of the delegation include service chiefs and Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil),
The delegation was led by Malam Muhammed Badaru, Minister of Defence.
Ekperipe Ekpo, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser and Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPCL, were also on the delegation.
Rear Admiral Olusegun Ferreira, the commander of “Operation Delta Safe,” as well as representatives from security services and the heads of regulatory organizations for the oil and gas industry, are also members of the team.
The team went to the right of way for the Trans-Niger Pipeline at Owaza, Abia, where numerous illicit connections were removed.
“We are ready to do whatever it takes for a peaceful Niger Delta,” Badaru stated, urging the perpetrators to “cease and desist from crude oil theft and economic sabotage.”