The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla has said in the past 4 years, Nigerian Navy has confiscated over 8.1 million barrels of stolen crude oil, 86,500 MT of illegally refined AGO, 788,312 litres of illegally sourced PMS and about 21 million litres of Kerosene.
Vice Adm. Ogalla disclosed this today, Monday 25th November 2024 at the International Press Conference of the 8th Edition of Heads of Navies/Coastguards Symposium at Naval Headquarters, Abuja
Vice Adm. Ogalla who was represented by Chief of Training and Operations, (Navy) CTOPS Rear Admiral Olusegun Ferreira noted that efforts have greatly curbed oil theft and this has led to a significant increase in Nigeria’s daily crude oil production output from 1.23 million barrels in October 2022 to 1.8 million barrels in October 2024 as revealed by the NUPRC.
He said other arrests include 120 barges, 181 speed boats, 1,453 wooden boats laden with stolen products as well as 118 vehicles conveying stolen petroleum products. During the period, the Nigerian Navy deactivated over 1,528 illegal refining sites and 8,790 storage tanks, and arrested 392 suspected oil thieves.
He added that the suspects were handed over to relevant law enforcement agencies for further investigation and prosecution.
Vice Adm. Ogalla noted that the positive outcome of the Nigerian Navy’s anti-crude oil operations is also evident in the Trans - Forcados and Trans - Niger pipelines which have continued to report about 100 per cent terminal factor in the past few months.
He said over the years, the Nigerian Navy emplaced measures to address the scourge of oil theft which include intelligence-led patrols, robust Maritime Domain Awareness and the Choke Point Management and Control regime involving the deployment of Naval Security Stations at strategic chokepoints within the creeks to deny oil thieves freedom of action.
He said in 2022, the Nigerian Navy succeeded in eradicating piracy in Nigerian waters, and Nigeria was de-listed from the International Maritime Bureau List of piracy prone countries.
"Despite these sterling performances, there have been misrepresentations in certain quarters aimed at tarnishing the image of the Nigerian Navy. These misrepresentations are peddled by mischief makers whose freedom of action in oil theft were severely degraded by the Nigerian Navy.
"Despite disruptions by these unpatriotic elements, the Nigerian Navy has remained critical in the success of several strategic initiatives such as the Presidential Crude Oil Barging Regime." he said
He announced the Nigerian Navy's the 2024 Symposium of the Heads of Navies of Gulf of Guinea countries, to be hosted by the Nigerian Navy in partnership with the European Union and the French Navy.
The event is scheduled for 26 – 28 November 2024 at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, with the theme “Maritime Security and Sustainable Development in the Gulf of Guinea”. The aim is to promote maritime security in the region and strengthen cooperation for effective maritime law enforcement. The Symposium will also provide a platform for practitioners to coalesce ideas on maritime security while deepening the implementation of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct.
The event will feature Strategic Sessions on Regional and International Cooperation for Maritime Security, Maritime Domain Awareness and Information Sharing as well as Legal and Regulatory Framework for Maritime Security Operations. Heads of Navies of Gulf of Guinea countries and representatives of regional and International organisations will participate in the 3-day event.
Anti-oil theft operations remains the Navy’s most critical function due to the contribution of oil revenue to Nigeria’s economic survival. However, some unpatriotic elements are determined to plunder the country’s oil resources for personal gains through oil theft and other acts of economic sabotage.