FG trailing crude oil thieves – Malami

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Efforts are being made by the Federal Government in addressing oil theft including spending enormous resources on pipeline surveillance security through the regular Armed Forces budgetary spending, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has said.

Other efforts included payments to civilian security companies under unique Public Private Partnership arrangements.

The clarification came amidst demands by some northern organisations for the termination of the over N48 billion pipeline surveillance contract being handled by repentant Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.

Malami, according to a statement on Thursday night by his Special Assistant (Media and Public Relations), Umar Gwandu, said these in New York while delivering a paper titled, ‘International action to stop crude oil theft: Proposed measures and the road ahead’, at the Nigeria International Partnership Forum with the theme ‘Scaling up international economic partnerships for Nigeria in a post COVID-19 world.’

The forum was organised by the Federal Government and the African Business Roundtable, an offshoot of the 77th session of the 2022 United Nations General Assembly
Malami said, “New specialised entities such as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority with clear mandates and statutory powers to handle specific responsibilities in their respective spheres of regulatory influence, were created under the PIA, among other innovations aimed at improving the Nigerian Oil and Gas landscape.”

He added that the Joint Task Force, comprising security officers from all the relevant security forces, were committed to the eradication of illegal Artisanal Refineries in the Niger-Delta region as “criminals involved in illegal refineries were responsible for about 25 per cent of stolen crude.”

The minister said that the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), “is seriously cracking down on crude oil theft with a view to lifting investors’ confidence; mitigate attacks on terminals and the country’s territorial waters.”

He said while prosecution of suspected criminals used to be a challenge, the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offenses Act, 2019 provides legal backing for prosecution and punishment of offenders.

The minister said the office of the AGF remains “committed to effective prosecution of all crude oil theft and related cases, including high-profile ones.”

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Francis Ogwo
The young and goal driven writer and cinematographer started his journalism as a print journalist in Kaduna in 2005 writing for Kaduna Chronicles Newspapers, Liberator Newspapers where he became the South Bureau Chief. In 2008, he moved into TV production with an employment into Siverbird Television and Rhythm Fm as a Correspondent. He got certified by Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria(ITPAN) in 2009. After five years of hardwork and training, he was employed as Associate Producer, Moments With Mo and subsequently Producer, Playground on HipTV. Francis currently majors in documentaries and high profile scripts for news and movies. He is currently a Senior Contents Producer at News Central TV

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