Abuja: The Senate Ad hoc Committee on Crude Oil has met with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to deepen collaboration in the fight against crude oil theft in the country.
The committee, led by its Chairman, Sen. Ned Nwoko (APC-Delta), during the visit on Thursday in Abuja, said that the visit was significant in tackling the pervasive issue of crude oil theft.
This is contained in a statement from the Ned Nwoko Media Directorate and made available to journalists in Abuja.
Nwoko also said that the meeting underscored the Senate’s commitment to collaborative efforts with security agencies in safeguarding Nigeria’s oil assets.
He emphasised the need for enhanced cooperation between the Nigerian Police Force and the Senate in addressing oil-related crimes.
He emphasised the need to improve intelligence sharing to combat crude oil theft effectively.
According to him, there is an urgent need to adopt strategies to strengthen operational coordination between the police and the Senate.
“There is a need to ensure tighter security around critical oil infrastructure, just as the Senate has resolved to support security agencies in curbing economic sabotage and protecting Nigeria’s oil assets.
“By working together, we can develop effective solutions to this pressing issue.”
“The Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft remains committed to finding lasting solutions to this challenge, and this meeting marks a significant step in the right direction.”
Data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), between 2002 and 2025, shows that about 353 million barrels of crude oil were stolen from Nigeria’s Niger Delta.
This volume is equivalent to roughly 56.1 billion litres or 1.2 million fuel tankers of 45,000-litre capacity each.
If sold at the current 73 per barrel average price of Nigeria’s crude, the stolen crude is estimated at 25.7 billion (N39.3 trillion) in losses.