The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) yesterday said the military should be held to account for the high rate of crude oil theft in the country.
This is as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) said about 600,000 barrels of crude are stolen daily.
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PENGASSAN and NUPRC spoke at an investigative hearing by the Senate a- hoc committee probing oil lifting, theft and the impact on petroleum production and oil revenues.
PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo alleged that oil theft was a collaborative crime between military personnel assigned to protect oil installations and the locals running illegal refineries.
He challenged the regulatory agencies and various security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities.
He said: “One of the greatest problems we have, which nobody has highlighted is that there is a strong connivance of our security forces in the crime.
“There’s no doubt about this. From our Army to our naval officers, we have information that they pay their superiors to post them to some areas in the Niger Delta.”
Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services and Administration, NUPRC, Jide Adeola, said about 600,00 barrels of crude oil were stolen per day.
He said Nigeria produced 1.23m barrels of crude oil per day as against 1.8m barrels targeted, leading to the current $2.1bn or N877bn revenue loss.
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