Some Navy Personnel Are Involved In Crude Oil Theft - Chief Of Naval Staff

Nigeria's Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo has announced that some naval personnel are working with oil thieves.

The assertion was made by Gambo on December 21 when he decorated 30 freshly promoted Rear Admirals.

The Nigerian Navy's efforts to stop illicit bunkering and crude oil theft in the nation, he claims, are being sabotaged by some officers who work with criminal groups.

Therefore, he exhorted the recently decorated officers to commit themselves once more to safeguarding Nigeria's maritime environment.

Vice Admiral Gambo said that the Navy has made some progress against crude oil theft.

He also issued a warning that any person found to be undermining the navy's security procedures will face harsh punishment and the wrath of the law.

“There are pockets of personnel still colluding with criminals to sabotage these efforts.

"Let me, therefore, warn that any act of collision with criminals to sabotage measures emplaced to check illegality will be made to face sanctions in accordance with the laws of the land. 

“Note that as leaders of the service, you are expected to be above board, and ensure that subordinates equally buy into the zero-tolerance stance of the Nigerian Navy against all forms of illegalities and criminalities at sea and ashore.” 

According to a report published in July 2021 by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), oil theft cost Nigeria 42.25 million barrels of crude oil worth $2.77 billion in 2019.

Mele Kyari informed the members of the Upstream Petroleum Committee on April 7, 2022, that Nigeria lost $4 billion to crude oil theft in 2021, which occurred at a rate of 200,000 barrels per day. In addition, Kyari noted that as of Q1/2022, crude oil theft has cost Nigeria $1.5 billion.

Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of Delta State, was visited by Mele Kyari in August 2022, who said that crude oil theft costs Nigeria $1.9 billion per month.

An 11-member Special Investigative Panel on Oil Theft and Losses in Nigeria was established by Major General Babagana Monguno, Nigeria's National Security Adviser (NSA), at the beginning of December 2022.