Another site of a major export pipeline platform that was exposed to pipeline hijackers as well as thieves selling oil to international markets was recently uncovered in Delta State. 

It may be recalled that over fifty oil lifting points have been discovered in the Bayelsa and Delta regions of the country. The recent discovery of the theft of this oil has sparked heated debates among many people about politics in Nigeria today and the country's oil wealth and how it is managed.

The discovery of the platform has also led to questions about the role of the government in the regulation of the oil industry and the protection of the environment. Crude oil pipelines have been leaking for a long time, coupled with oil theft and pipeline flares. The Niger Delta region has suffered environmental damage and pollution, resulting in many people losing their livelihoods. 

The connection of activities like these is no mystery, as it may also be recalled that Dakuku Peterson had noted that the thieves’ strategies are no longer entirely understood and have distinctive dimensions. To him, the perpetrators of crude oil lifting are solely a count of conjecture.

However, top government officials in Nigeria, business leaders, security personnel, oil operators, and the host community's stakeholders may not be totally overruled from their involvement. It is no secret that oil hijackers operate in an organized manner that is modern and, at the same time, sophisticated.

Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd (TSSNL), a company owned by High Government Commissioner Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo, discloses that within this illegal crude oil pipeline in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria, crude oil lifting activities amounting to a loss of about 400,000 barrels of would have occurred daily for export to markets overseas.

Nigeria, being a major producer of crude oil that has one of the largest reserves in Africa, relies on crude oil production as a significant source of revenue for its economy. In this way, many wonder if a Nigeria without oil is even feasible. Incessant thefts of this kind have threatened not only the univocal government in Nigeria but also the growth and development of Nigeria as a whole and its people.

Moreso, reports show that oil earnings in Nigeria had crashed by N288bn in the third quarter of 2022.

It is interesting to note that the location of the illegal connection point of the exposed hijackers was discovered just behind a military security post and less than a mile from the Forcados export terminal in the Ogulaga community. The crude oil pipeline that was tapped into is the second largest oil pipeline in the oil-producing region after the Bonny pipeline system east of the Niger Delta. It is also the location where some International Oil Companies (IOCs) and independent Nigerian companies operating in the Niger Delta have also been reported to be engaged in the pumping of crude oil. The illegal oil pipeline connects to another abandoned riser pipe owned by AGIP Petroleum Company Ltd and located in the vicinity of the junction.

The hijackers are believed to operate at night to avoid exposure and to transport crude oil concentrate in the middle of the night through the ruined AGIP facility, off the coast, and load her onto stolen ships before setting sail across the ocean.

TSSNL's Naval Intelligence Adviser, Captain Waredi Enisuoh, spoke to journalists about the apprehension and how the illicit link was found, claiming that the perpetrators whose activities he exposed revealing their "intelligent design," may have been stealing crude oil from the site for some time.

Zakaria Budawara, the general manager of operations for the National Petroleum Investment Management Services, NAPIMS joint venture, said in remarks that one of the roles of the Nigerian government and authorities is to monitor and correct crude oil lifting practices to restore stability. The authorities also assured the public that they remain at the top of their game to ensure that the problem of crude oil lifting is appropriately handled.

He also said that agents from the Pipeline Agency have been monitoring all these activities for some time and are eagerly awaiting a time when development will fully thrive in our country.

He lauded the efforts of Tantita's contractors, stakeholders, and community members for their role in ensuring the necessary sustainability.

As Enisuoh explained, these oil lifters waited on refined oil and had access to a technically equipped vessel to tap into Shell's 48-inch submarine export lines pipelines. He added that Authorities arrived at the scene and had to use a lot of equipment to clear the area and expose the theft.

The captain pointed out that the hijackers pumped oil out of the fields without a valid work permit and did so in total disregard of environmental protection laws. According to him, the village is littered with crude oil containers, and the problem cannot be ignored.

Enisuoh also added that those who engage in illegal activities like these should desist from it, stating that Nigerians and the Nigerian economy have suffered enough and that it was high time we all came together and did something different.

Captain Enisuoh reiterated that while he could not give details of how long the extortion had been going on or the exact amount of crude oil illegally pumped for export at the site, he proposed that it might have been going on for a year.

Chief Keston Pondi, managing director of TSSNL, added to reporters that the Tantita's staff discovered illicit pipeline activity in the Warri Delta region after detecting unusual vessel traffic in the region. 

In his statement to the newsman, he noted that this was the second illegal crude oil lifting channel Tantita had discovered recently. Ogbe-Ijoh's first illegal pipeline is owned by Shell Petroleum Development Company. He added that the current aspect of the illegal crude oil pipeline is owned by Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, a French subsidiary of TOTAL.

He also revealed that the incessant illegal pipeline connections are the sole property of Eastern and Western leaders and are linked to smugglers who export crude oil to unknown destinations and companies

Reminding the public that the government frowns against such activities, he recalled, in connection to this, the NSCDC's apprehension some time ago of a Navy Commander who was conducting an illegal crude oil bunkering operation in Warri

However, Dakuku Peterside, the director of the Maritime Safety and Administration Authority of Nigeria, defended the way the country has been fighting illegal crude oil bunkering, noting in an interview with journalists that the illegal oil business has been thriving for more than 2,000 years. 

He also said that ever since the drop in the rate of crude oil in international markets under $55 per barrel in December 2015, oil larceny has only intensified.

Moreover, he reiterated that the recent destruction of 61 intercontinental ships shows that the illicit crude oil lifting activities today are not the same as oil theft from years ago. What the government in Nigeria is charged with tackling nowadays is an expansion in the destruction of ships and vessels involved in crude oil theft through unlawful bunkering and pressured burning.

According to him,  intercepting illicit oil-containing ships to stop crude oil theft will not be effective since the destruction of these vessels did not require hydrocarbon content. He added that indifference to corruption was a major factor in oil theft, as suspected smugglers/vandalism cannot be prosecuted.

He added that the people engaging in the illicit act of crude oil lifting do not care for a stable life in the hopes that they gain wealth from processing and extracting small amounts of crude oil from rivers. He also added that what we find today is that all that one has to think of is boat choice, and a small investment can go a long way. 

He noted that NIMASA would work with other security agencies to crack down on illegal crude oil storage in ports and beaches around Nigeria. He acknowledged that incidents involving the lifting of oil and crude oil pipeline leaks have impacted the environment negatively and that the reason the Benin Sea has not been declared a hazardous coastal area is due to the reason that the country faces consequences that are above its power.