Senator Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa West has dropped a bombshell, revealing that influential figures from Abuja and Lagos are implicated in oil theft operations in the Niger Delta region.
In an interview, the former Bayelsa State governor affirmed that both the official system and oil companies benefit from illicit oil activities in the Niger Delta.
Dickson lamented the lack of national values leading to the exploitation of the nation’s resources for personal gain, and underscored the need for accountability and transparency in the oil sector.
Vanguard quoted him as saying, “People from Abuja and Lagos are the masterminds and the official system is not ignorant and not innocent. The official security system, the official oil system, the official federal system, all of it in its entirety. It’s a powerful system.
“Why should a country like Nigeria that has been producing oil, exporting oil for the past 70 years not have a scientific way of metering, recording what leaves, what is pumped, what is sold and what is not sold? And it’s deliberate.
“It’s not a Niger Delta thing; it’s just happening there and it is unfortunate that it has destroyed communities because there is too much illegal money, illegal arms, illicit drugs and it has fueled cultism because people want to get the loyalties of young people to be able to hold territories where oil facilities are.
“They need weapons and young men that are always high on drugs. You think a man who slaughters and cuts off a man’s head and dismember him is normal? So, those are people who are actively on drugs.”
Oil theft has plagued Nigeria for years, with significant volumes of oil being illegally lifted from the sector without accountability.
In 2022, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited uncovered an illegal oil connection operating for nine years, resulting in the loss of approximately 600,000 barrels per day.
It is estimated that about 108,000 barrels of crude are stolen daily in Nigeria, leading to significant financial losses for the country.
