Posted by Chinenye on Thu 11th Jun, 2026 - tori.ng
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has revealed a worrying escalation in pipeline vandalism, with well-equipped criminal gangs reportedly posing as members of a “Federal Government Taskforce” to steal critical oil infrastructure.
(Stakeholders from the NNPC Ltd's Industry. Photo Credit: Punch News)
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has uncovered a disturbing trend in the country's worsening pipeline vandalism crisis, revealing that well-equipped criminal syndicates are disguising themselves as members of a purported Federal Government task force to steal critical oil infrastructure.
The company disclosed that 24 cases of vandalism had been recorded along sections of the Warri-Kaduna crude oil pipeline corridor since 2025, with about nine kilometres of pipeline already stolen by suspected vandals.
The revelation came as NNPC Ltd, through its Industry-Wide Security Architecture and its subsidiary, the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC), conducted a joint inspection of a vandalised section of pipeline at Pai Community in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
The inspection was carried out alongside the Office of the National Security Adviser Special Prosecution Team, the FCT Police Command, the Nigerian Army and other security stakeholders, following the arrest of three suspected pipeline vandals in the Piri and Pai communities.
A statement issued on Thursday by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd, Mr Andy Odeh, said the inspection was aimed at assessing the extent of damage to the critical national asset, advancing ongoing investigations and reinforcing efforts to combat economic sabotage.
According to Odeh, NPSC owns and manages more than 5,000 kilometres of crude oil and petroleum products pipelines across the country, with pipeline theft across the network intensifying in recent years.
"Well-equipped criminals disguising themselves as the 'NNPC/Federal Government Taskforce for Recovery of Abandoned Pipelines' connive with locals to dig out and steal these pipelines," the statement noted.
The company disclosed that 19 incidents were recorded in 2025 alone, with about nine kilometres of pipeline stolen along the Enugu-Makurdi-Yola corridor and between Piri and Izom along the Warri-Kaduna pipeline corridors.
So far in 2026, five cases have been reported at Piri-Kwali and Gwagwalada along the Warri-Kaduna crude oil pipeline segment and at Badanga along the Jos-Gombe pipeline corridor.
The affected infrastructure serves as a strategic route for transporting crude oil from the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company to the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company.
Speaking during the inspection, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Bashir Ojulari, represented by the company's Chief Interface Officer, Dahiru Sani-Gwarzo, described the arrests as an important breakthrough in the fight against pipeline sabotage.
"The industry-wide security architecture has been actively pursuing criminal elements involved in the sabotage of our energy infrastructure.
Those apprehended are only a small part of a larger network. Our focus remains on identifying and bringing to justice the masterminds and sponsors behind these criminal activities," he said.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, said the operation demonstrated the collective resolve of security agencies to dismantle organised criminal groups targeting national infrastructure, adding that investigations had already generated valuable leads regarding the sponsors and receivers of the vandalised materials.
The Director of Energy Security at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Mr Goodluck Ebele, urged Nigerians living around pipeline facilities to report suspicious activities promptly, stressing that pipeline vandalism affects national revenue, energy supply and economic development.
Representing the Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. J.O. Ajongbo reaffirmed the military's commitment to safeguarding oil and gas infrastructure nationwide, while the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Hon. Sesi Whingan, pledged legislative support to strengthen deterrence against pipeline vandalism.
Reports indicate that recurring vandalism along the Warri-Kaduna pipeline corridor could delay the commencement of operations at the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, which depends on crude supplies transported through the pipeline network, unless alternative feedstock delivery arrangements are put in place.