The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) has raised alarm over the discovery of an illegal crude oil tapping point in Idu-Ekpeye, Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The group said the incident was reported through its Crude Oil Spill Alert System (COSAS) Network, as well as the Network on Organized Crime in Nigeria, on the morning of Thursday, May 7, 2026.
According to report, which was accompanied by videos and photographs of the incident, the tapping point was discovered on Oando PLC pipeline right of way in the community.
The group disclosed that a 2-inch valve was used by the economic saboteurs to tap crude oil from an 8-inch pipeline right of way in the community.
“The saboteurs vandalized the facility to divert crude oil for artisanal refining activities in the area”.
Yeac warned that rising petroleum product prices, particularly Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), combined with worsening economic conditions, could fuel increased cases of pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, artisanal refining, and environmental degradation.
“1t is evident that the current high cost of petroleum products especially PMS and AGO which has made them inaccessible to ordinary citizens, coupled with harsh economic conditions, is likely to trigger a surge in pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, artisanal refining, and environmental pollution.
Jobless youths, driven to pursue a livelihood in the informal oil and gas sector, are behind this trend”.
“This reinforces our continued call on the federal government to legalize, modernize, standardize, and integrate artisanal refineries into the national economy by establishing the Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI), as proposed by YEAC-Nigeria on July 27, 2020.
“PACORDI should serve as a corresponding initiative to the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI) for artisanal refiners in the Niger Delta as PAGMI is serving the interests of illegal gold miners in parts of the North and Western Nigeria”, the group said”.
The Advocacy Centre called on youths in the Niger Delta to desist from economic sabotage through pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.
Such acts not only contribute to environmental pollution and rob government of development revenue but also destroy the livelihoods of fishermen and farmers.
“YEAC-Nigeria will continue to advocate for the establishment of PACORDI and for the consideration of modular refineries for artisanal refiners in the Niger Delta, as proposed under the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2017”.
YEAC however called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to engage the operator of the pipeline right of way, Oando, and conduct a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the scene of the incident.
“This is with a view to facilitating the identification and prosecution of those responsible, in line with the relevant provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021, using the JIV report,” the group affirmed l
