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Abuja, Nigeria —
Nigeria is stepping up efforts to curb oil theft, citing significant progress in key oil-producing regions.
Officials said Operation Delta Safe shut down an illegal refinery, recovered millions of liters of stolen oil and arrested several people. The operation has increased crude oil production by 16.7% over the past year, they said.
DeltaSafe Army and Air Force Commanders Jamal Abdusalam and Ali Idris discuss the results achieved.
“When they see soldiers, they flee to their hills,” Abdusalam said of the bandits. “As long as the soldiers are watching them, as long as they are watching the soldiers, they will be arrested and all the materials they are using will also be taken away and destroyed.”
“We are also currently working closely with some of the IOCs, namely international oil companies,” Idris said, adding that the IOC provides information on illegal pipeline connections to the Nigerian authorities. The cooperation has been very successful and “the results are beginning to show.”
Security forces are conducting air and land operations to monitor and protect the oil-rich area. New helicopters and aircraft improved surveillance and combat operations.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff, Christopher Musa, said these resources helped advance the mission.
“We leverage technology a lot,” he said. In addition to maritime surveillance systems, “we can fly drones apart from patrols that go over the sea, we can also fly helicopters to check for problems, and we can remove all the illegal refineries. I think that’s our goal. ” All illegal refineries must be withdrawn. ”
Oil theft costs Nigeria millions of dollars annually. According to Senate estimates, $23 million was lost every day in 2022, and $1.43 billion was lost in March 2023 alone. Operation Delta Safe is aimed at reducing losses, with production targets set at 1.7 million barrels per day this year.
Emeka Onumajuru, head of defense training and operations at DeltaSafe, said he expects continued improvement: “Most of the pipelines are safe. The oil going into the pipelines is no longer being siphoned off at the same level as before.” did.
Although progress has been made, the rugged terrain and weak community involvement remain obstacles, Onumajo confirmed.
“Naturally, the Niger Delta is a very difficult terrain to operate in, with lots of wetlands and dense forests. When there is a high level of community involvement among oil companies…there is no tendency for frequent disagreements.”
Defense Secretary Musa reaffirmed the nation’s determination to work with local communities.
“We’re going to work with them to make sure they get everything they deserve because we know when they’re going to be happy, they’re going to get better everywhere. ” he said.
While the crackdown has been hailed as a significant achievement, experts warn that sustained success depends on effective cooperation between security forces, government agencies and local actors.
