A Cross section of the Senate Committee on Incessant Crude Oil Theft, at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday.
By Dianabasi Effiong
The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Adm. Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), has called for the effective prosecution of oil thieves to curb the rampant economic sabotage crippling Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
The Administrator made the call while hosting the Senate Committee on Incessant Crude Oil Theft, led by its Chairman, Sen. Ned Nwoko, at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday.
According to Ibas, weak punishment for offenders emboldens criminality, depriving the nation of critical revenue needed for development.
“Your presence here is both significant and timely. Crude oil theft strikes at the heart of Nigeria’s economic survival, undermining President Bola Tinubu’s reforms to boost oil production and fund national infrastructure,” he said.
The Administrator, who commended the Committee’s mandate to investigate oil theft across producing states and terminals, expressed confidence that their recommendations would strengthen Nigeria’s economic base.
He highlighted Rivers State’s progress in reducing pipeline vandalism through:
Improved intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination.
He also spoke on the planned deployment of digital surveillance systems over oil installations and Port Harcourt’s “Safe-City” security architecture.
“As a major oil-producing state, we are committed to eliminating threats to production. Our goal is a secure, tech-driven monitoring framework to safeguard assets and boost output,” he said.
Ibas urged strict prosecution of offenders to ensure that convicted oil thieves faced deterrent penalties.
He also called for the following: “Tamper-Proof Metering Systems – Fix faulty metering, which accounts for 40% of oil losses. Enhanced Naval & Security Funding – Strengthen the Nigerian Navy and maritime agencies. Global Surveillance Investment – Expand monitoring to backwaters and international waters, where large-scale theft occurs.”
In his response, Sen. Nwoko ecpressed the committee’s resolve to identify and dismantle theft networks, both onshore and offshore.
“We need Rivers State’s support to end this menace. Big-time thieves operate in international waters, and we must collaborate to secure Nigeria’s resources,” he said.
The Committee, inaugurated three months ago, will submit actionable solutions to the National Assembly to sanitize the oil sector.
Plans are on for immediate rollout of digital surveillance in Rivers State.
Close collaboration between the State and Senate Committee were also discussed as well as push for stricter legal consequences for oil thieves.
Ibas also reiterated the state’s readiness to partner with federal stakeholders to protect national assets and restore Nigeria’s oil revenue potential.
