The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bashir Ojulari, has warned that crude oil theft in Africa has escalated beyond local crime, with international syndicates now orchestrating the illicit trade.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday at the opening of the Africa Chiefs of Defence Staff Conference, Ojulari said the crime was being driven by organised cartels exploiting weaknesses in national and continental security systems.
“Oil theft is no longer a backyard operation. It is run by organised international syndicates who exploit gaps in state and continental security,” he said.
He stressed that security had become central to the sustainability of the oil sector, noting that recent improvements in Nigeria’s oil output were linked to stronger collaboration with security agencies.
“Security is not an adjunct to the oil business; it is the foundation of energy security. Our sector has improved because of the deliberate efforts of security agencies. We owe this recovery to sustained action by the military and intelligence services.
“The losses are continental, the actors international, and the response must be collective,” he added.
The conference brought together defence chiefs and security leaders from across Africa to discuss strategies for addressing cross-border threats, including oil theft, insurgency and organised crime.
