The Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), OFR, has called for stronger collaboration between security agencies and stakeholders in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector to enhance the protection of critical national assets and increase crude oil production.
Speaking during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting held on Monday, June 29, 2026, at the Port Harcourt Barracks under the framework of Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), the Defence Minister said effective cooperation was crucial to safeguarding oil infrastructure and sustaining the nation’s economic growth.
General Musa stressed the need for improved intelligence sharing, enhanced operational synergy, and swift, coordinated responses among the Armed Forces of Nigeria, other security agencies, and industry operators to tackle security challenges affecting oil production.
He noted that protecting strategic oil and gas assets remains a national priority, adding that closer collaboration between security forces and industry players would further strengthen ongoing efforts to combat crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and other forms of economic sabotage.
During the meeting, stakeholders reviewed existing security arrangements and identified the absence of an approved Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to guide collaboration between pipeline and infrastructure companies, Operation Delta Safe, and other security agencies as a major obstacle to effective coordination.
Participants also highlighted several persistent challenges, including threats from host communities, insider collaboration with criminal networks, delays in repairing damaged oil facilities, and the vulnerability of abandoned infrastructure, all of which continue to provide opportunities for illegal crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
The meeting reaffirmed the importance of sustained partnership between government, security agencies, and industry operators in protecting Nigeria’s strategic energy assets. It also acknowledged the significant progress recorded by Operation Delta Safe in improving security across the Niger Delta while calling for stronger institutional cooperation to consolidate the gains and support increased oil production.
