Nigeria’s state oil company, NNPC Limited, announced on Monday, August 25, that coordinated efforts by defence and intelligence Agencies have almost eradicated pipeline theft, a problem that once drained billions from Government revenue.
Just three years ago, only 30% of crude transported through some pipelines reached export terminals due to theft and sabotage, severely undermining investor confidence. Group Chief Executive Officer Bashir Bayo Ojulari told a regional security Forum in Abuja that pipeline and terminal receipts were now “close to 100%,” citing improved security across the oil-rich Niger Delta.
Ojulari stressed that oil theft had been driven by sophisticated international syndicates, requiring a broad security response beyond local interventions. With strengthened protection of infrastructure and renewed investor interest, Nigeria is aiming to boost production, with regulators projecting output could exceed 2.5 million barrels per day by next year — a level last reached in 2005 before militancy slashed output to just 1 million bpd by 2016. The turnaround follows increased collaboration between national forces and private security firms, which began supporting pipeline protection efforts in 2021.