The traditional ruler of Upata Kingdom of Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, His Royal Majesty Felix Otuwarikpo, has again sounded the alarm bell on the continuous issue of crude oil theft in the Niger Delta Region.
He accused some prominent persons in Nigeria’s elite of engaging in the illegal business and destroying important facilities in the oil industry.
Delivering his speech during the opening ceremony of 2026 Press Week of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, the traditional ruler called upon the media to carry out in-depth investigations into who is behind the crime.
“The press is very important as the voice of the society and it should not relent in its efforts towards uncovering what is happening in this country because such acts of economic sabotage are denying our country lots of money needed for economic growth,” he added.
The traditional ruler observed that people are being sponsored by members of the elite to vandalize pipelines in their communities.
“We cannot blame poverty and ignorance all the while when we know there is someone sponsoring such acts of economic sabotage,”
These statements came at a time when former Edo State Governor and present-day senator, Adams Oshiomhole, had raised similar claims of oil theft being masterminded by some retired senior military personnel in the Niger Delta.
Also, the League of Maritime Editors (LOME), speaking through their president, Remi Itie, stated that these accusations should not be taken lightly considering who is raising them.
According to the league of maritime editors, crude oil theft and destruction of oil and gas facilities pose as major obstacles to economic progress for Nigeria.
Apart from the huge amount of money lost through this criminal act, the destruction poses environmental challenges and has become a very profitable venture for criminals in Nigeria.
According to Remi Itie, the country was used to producing more than two million barrels per day before the present regime of Mr. Muhammadu Buhari but now, due to these crimes, the production level has dropped to between 1.3 and 1.4 million barrels per day.
She went ahead to note that although there has been an improvement in the security aspect of the pipeline system, the country still fails to meet its OPEC production quota of about 1.5 million barrels per day. Over the last two years (from 2025 to mid-2026), production levels have oscillated between 1.3 million and 1.55 million barrels per day.
The figure is far below the 1.84 million barrels per day mark of 2026’s budget, including condensates.
The failure to meet production quotas has been blamed on oil theft, aging pipeline system and vandalism.
However, Ms LOME asked why such problems had persisted over the last few decades without solving them.
Another point of criticism by the group involved the government policy under the Buhari regime to entrust pipeline security to a private firm, Tantita Security Services, and not the navy alone. Although some success can be registered by the firm, it has raised fears of continuing crude oil thefts.
According to LOME, a supertanker nicknamed Skipper with carrying capacity of 2.2 million barrels was intercepted by the US Coast Guard and Navy due to alleged stealing of crude oil.
The group pointed out that such cases happen frequently within the Nigerian territory because the oil is loaded illegally on ships and they sail away.
It was mentioned that none of the authorities such as NNPCL, NIMASA, or Nigerian Navy made any comments about the case.
LOME complained about the irresponsibility because, although there was money spent by the citizens, there was no clear response from anyone involved.
As the King said before, LOME repeated that the theft of crude oil is a complex and well-funded crime, which can only be committed by rich and educated people, not poor or uneducated ones.
The League underlined that the situation is very worrying, as the role of crude oil is crucial in Nigeria’s economy.
