NNPL GMD MELE CALLS FOR CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, CLAIMING THAT OIL THEFT AND VANDALISM ARE RUINOUS

Mele Kyari, Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria National Petroleum Limited (NNPL), lamented high-scale oil theft and infrastructure vandalism in the Niger Delta on Tuesday, saying the nation was facing calamity as a result.

He spoke during his appearance before the Senate's Joint Committees on Petroleum and Natural Resources (Downstream),

Petroleum (Upstream) and Gas, arguing that capital punishment is necessary to save the nation's oil and gas industry.

Senator Albert Bassey Akpan, representing Akwa Ibom North East Senatorial District, earlier revealed that his Committee made a fact-finding trip to Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, and discovered illegal oil refineries, crude oil theft, and pipeline vandalism were rampant.

Continuing, Mele argued that other African oil-rich countries, particularly Morocco, faced similar challenges in the past but solved them by instantly killing criminals who were destroying infrastructure, while urging the Nigerian parliament to consider capital punishment to save the industry from total collapse.

He recalled that oil theft has been a crime in Nigeria for many years, specifically since about 22 years ago, but the scale it has taken in recent years has been unprecedented.

"As earlier stated as a result of the oil theft, Nigeria losses about 600,000 barrels per day which is not healthy for the nation's economy and in particular , the illegal operators in the field which had led to the closure of some of their operational facilities.

"But in rising up to the highly disturbing challenge, NNPCL, has in recent time in collaboration with relevant security agencies, clamped down on the economic saboteurs.

"In the course of the clamp down within the last six weeks, 395 illegal refineries have been deactivated, 274 reservoirs destroyed, 1,561 metal tanks destroyed, 49 trucks seized and the most striking of all, is the 4 kilometeres illegal oil connection line from Forcados Terminal into the sea which had been in operation undetected for 9 solid years," he said.

He went on to explain to the committee that in order to combat the threat, NNPCL conducted aerial surveillance of the affected areas and observed economic saboteurs carrying out their activities unabated.

"Is not abnormal to involve non-state actors for protection of oil pipelines and other critical infrastructure as done in Cambodia and Mexico which produced desired results," he said.

In response, the Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Mohammed Sabo Nakudu of Jigawa South West, told the NNPCL boss to prepare for oversight functions on the rehabilitated Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.