*Subcontractors linked to widespread oil theft
CHIGOZIE AMADI
An oil surveillance operation backed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has unravelled a huge illegal bunkering camp in Bayelsa, Niger Delta.
But in a major twist to the story, THISDAY learnt that identity cards found on the sites belonged to some oil pipeline subcontractors who were hired to watch over some of the assets.
The operation, it was gathered, took place during the early hours of Sunday, June 23, when the surveillance security operatives conducted patrols in the Okoroba axis of the Nembe local government area of the state and their mission led them towards the Elemuama area.
When the operatives moved to dismantle the illegal operation site, sources told THISDAY that they uncovered startling evidence implicating one of the subcontractors in massive oil theft.
It was further understood that the implicated subcontractor provides surveillance security services to Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company (Aiteo), an oil exploration company belonging to oil and gas magnate, Benedict Peters.
The identity cards of the employees of the surveillance firm discovered on-site and other incriminating evidence have now raised several questions about the complicity of the company and its owner’s involvement in illicit oil bunkering activities in the region.
Also revealed during the raid were two additional unauthorised bunkering camps nearby, wherein the surveillance team seized and subsequently destroyed two large boats loaded with crude oil and a fibre boat.
They were eventually set ablaze to prevent further illicit activities since the boats could carry large quantities of oil, indicating the scale of the operation.
The coordinates of the seized boats were: N4°35’40.67814, E6°27’8.71992, N4°33’8″ E6°28,0 while those of the illegal bunkering camps were: 4°35’39.70776, N 6°27’5.30052, E 4°35’38.97882, N 6°27’7.04682.
Also fingered was one Livingston whose operations spread across Bayelsa State, specifically in the creeks of Nembe—Brass. He is said to own several illegal bunkering camps and controls a vast transportation network that transports illegal refined petroleum products to various parts of the state.
However, Livingston is also said to be the coordinator of all illegal bunkering groups that that have been complicit in vandalising the facilities of Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company.
Persons with knowledge of the goings-on in the area stated that if the culprits are not arrested and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others, illegal bunkering may continue in the location.
Also said to have been fingered around Nembe and Brass was one person popularly known as “Organiser,” who is said to be orchestrating a sophisticated network that recruits and transports individuals to carry out the destructive activities.
“His continued evasion of justice underscores the need for stringent measures to halt systematic economic sabotage in the region.
“This collaboration has significantly impeded efforts to address and resolve the nation’s oil theft crisis. To safeguard the region from further environmental and economic harm, it is imperative to bring these figures to book, ” a source said.
He added: “How can the environment be free from all these illegal bunkering activities when people like Livingston are stealing, destroying and selling oil companies facilities and products?
“They should be arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others. His ways of operations are to recruit boys in cutting pipes and transporting them for sale through a well organised sophisticated dark transport network.
“People like ‘Organiser’ should not be allowed to vandalise oil facilities continuously but should be brought to book to free our society of a systematic economic sabotage,” the person with the knowledge of the activities in the location stressed.
Images seen by THISDAY confirmed that that one of the companies that own the ID cards has an incorporation number, with a number of their boats impounded by the surveillance group.
In October last year, the Nigerian Senate revealed that the country lost N2.3 trillion to crude oil theft during the year, with pipeline vandalism and oil bunkering already precipitating a severe socio-economic crisis in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, in the past week, the NNPC reported a staggering 400 incidents of crude oil theft, with the bulk of them occurring in the Western region of Rivers and Bayelsa states, with 265 cases.
Most of the incidents had to do with unauthorised pipeline connections, vandalism, oil spills, and unlicensed storage sites.
From June 15 to June 21, 2024, the NNPC in a documentary, said it identified 165 illegal refineries, 69 unauthorised connections, 15 acts of vandalism, eight oil spills, and 19 illegal storage locations.
Additionally, there were 74 vessel Automatic Identification System (AIS) infractions, among other violations, the national oil company said.
“Measures such as the complete confiscation of assets and freezing all accounts using Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) will be a highly effective course of action by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and relevant bodies as Nigeria seeks to combat oil theft. We must ask the EFCC what steps they are taking to address this situation,” the concerned source stated.
For several years, oil producers have lamented the debilitating effects of pipeline vandalism, crude theft, and illegal crude trafficking.
Some of the worst-hit oil companies have recently begun the transportation of their crude through significant arteries like the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL). The disruptions not only lead to production downtime and loss of crude oil, but also incur additional expenses for facility repairs.
Despite numerous alarms raised by various entities and the government, the crimes appear to continue to benefit the perpetrators as a result of their largely unchecked activities.
