Nigeria’s oil theft kingpins still untouchable as arrested suspects ‘know nothing’ — Naval Chief

The powerful figures orchestrating Nigeria’s multibillion-naira crude oil theft industry remain largely beyond the reach of law enforcement agencies, while low-paid labourers and foot soldiers continue to bear the brunt of arrests and prosecutions, Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has disclosed. The revelation underscores the deep-rooted challenges confronting Nigeria’s fight against oil theft, a crime that continues to drain government revenues, fuel environmental destruction in the Niger Delta, and threaten the country’s economic stability.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Abbas said most suspects arrested at illegal refining sites are merely workers receiving meagre wages and often possess little or no information about the powerful individuals financing and coordinating the operations. According to him, the real beneficiaries of crude oil theft remain hidden behind complex criminal networks that make investigations and prosecutions difficult.

“Most of the faces behind these thefts are not really known or are not the ones we always catch. The ones we get at most of the illegal refinery sites are just being given some paltry sum, while the big masquerades are the ones that make the real money,” he said.

The Naval Chief explained that the structure of oil theft syndicates poses a major obstacle to successful prosecution because many of those apprehended are disconnected from the leaders of the criminal enterprise.

“In trying to prosecute some of these people that we get, some of them don’t even know who they are working for. So, the network is a very delicate one,” Abbas added.

Despite the challenges, he said the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies have continued to refine their tactics to counter increasingly sophisticated methods employed by oil thieves. He noted that investments in technology, intelligence gathering and surveillance systems have contributed to a reduction in crude oil theft incidents.

“As they are evolving strategies, we are also evolving new strategies. Technology is the way forward. With that, we have been able to reduce the level of theft,” he said.

Crude oil theft remains one of the biggest threats to Nigeria’s petroleum sector, depriving the country of billions of dollars in revenue annually and causing extensive environmental damage across oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta. The illegal activities have also undermined investor confidence and weakened government efforts to maximise earnings from the oil and gas industry.

Abbas, however, maintained that Nigeria’s coastal and riverine communities are now relatively safe due to sustained naval operations targeting maritime crimes.

“As it stands today, I can say that our coastal areas and the riverine areas are relatively safe,” he said. “What we are contending with mostly there is the issue of crude oil theft and some pockets of sea robbery, which we are able to curtail.”

The Naval Chief also renewed his call for the establishment of a special court dedicated to maritime offences, including crude oil theft. According to him, such a court would accelerate the prosecution of maritime criminals and ease the burden on the Navy, which currently spends significant resources maintaining seized vessels and exhibits while awaiting the conclusion of lengthy court proceedings.

“What we are pushing for is that we should have a special court that will try these maritime criminals,” Abbas said.

He noted that faster adjudication would strengthen deterrence, improve accountability and enhance the nation’s overall capacity to combat crude oil theft and other maritime crimes. Abbas reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s oil assets, stressing that stronger collaboration among security agencies, host communities and industry stakeholders remains critical to dismantling oil theft networks and safeguarding the country’s economic lifeline.