KEY POINTS
- NNPC and security agencies intensify joint operations against rising pipeline vandalism across Nigeria.
- Three suspects arrested in Abuja as investigations widen into criminal syndicates behind oil theft.
- Authorities report increasing pipeline sabotage cases since 2024, with major losses recorded nationwide.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC, has stepped up collaboration with security agencies to combat rising cases of pipeline vandalism and protect critical oil and gas infrastructure across the country.
The renewed effort followed a joint inspection of a vandalised section of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC) crude oil pipeline located in Pai community, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
According to a statement by NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, the inspection came after the arrest of three suspected pipeline vandals in the Pai and nearby Piri communities.
The operation involved multiple security and regulatory stakeholders, including the Industry-Wide Security Architecture (IWSA), the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Special Prosecution Team, the FCT Police Command, the Nigerian Army, and officials of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company.
During the inspection, NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Ojulari, described the arrests as a significant breakthrough in ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks targeting the country’s energy infrastructure. He noted that the arrested suspects were part of a wider syndicate involved in sabotage activities.
Ojulari, who was represented by Dahiru Sani-Gwarzo, NNPC’s Chief Interface Officer, stressed that the company’s focus was not only on arresting low-level offenders but also on tracking and prosecuting the masterminds and financiers behind pipeline attacks.
He warned that pipeline vandalism continues to cause severe economic losses while also threatening national energy security and discouraging investment in the sector.
The Commissioner of Police for the FCT, Ahmed Sanusi, confirmed that the suspects were apprehended through coordinated intelligence gathering, surveillance operations, and targeted patrols. He added that investigations were already producing leads on those funding and benefiting from the stolen materials.
Security agencies assured that all individuals connected to the crime would be identified and prosecuted according to the law.
The Office of the National Security Adviser, represented by its Director of Energy Security, Goodluck Ebele, urged Nigerians to support security efforts by providing credible and timely information that could help prevent sabotage of national assets.
The Nigerian Army also reaffirmed its commitment to working with other agencies to secure oil and gas installations nationwide, while the National Assembly indicated readiness to strengthen legal frameworks to deter pipeline vandalism.
NNPC disclosed that its pipeline network, managed through the NPSC, spans over 5,000 kilometres across the country. The company also noted a worrying rise in pipeline theft since 2024, with criminal groups reportedly disguising themselves as government task forces to carry out illegal operations.
It reported 19 incidents of pipeline theft in 2025 alone, including the loss of about nine kilometres of pipeline along the Enugu–Makurdi–Yola corridor and sections of the Warri–Kaduna route. In 2026, five additional cases have already been recorded across the Piri–Kwali, Gwagwalada, and Badanga corridors.
