By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
THE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, has accused churches and mosques of aiding and abetting crude oil theft.
He disclosed that crude oil theft has become a widespread phenomenon involving all strata of the society including religious, local leaders and government officials.
He said the company has discovered that stolen products are warehoused in churches and mosques with the knowledge of all members of the society where the incidents occur.
Speaking at the Ministerial Media Briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday, he also said the entire network of pipelines for petroleum products distribution in the country has been shut down as a result of the activities of vandals.
“Wherever our products have gone to, everybody has become some sort of vandal,” he alleged.
He said beyond the issue of vandalism, the pipelines have also aged, necessitating their shutdown.
Kyari, however, noted that the company has decided to come up with a new pipeline management system that will enable them useful for distribution of products in the country.
Meanwhile, a retired naval officer from the Niger Delta, who will not want his name in print, has accused the NNPCL authorities of being economical with the truth.
According to the officer, who retired from service in 2016, accusations of stealing heaped on thieves are false and a decoy by NNPCL and other oil companies of admitting shortfalls in their production.
“Those stories of thieves stealing crude oil using big vessels to transport them off the rivers to the high seas are not always true.
“How can such happen in the presence of combined security agents dotting every nook and cranny of the coastal routes?
“From my experience, NNPCL and others have failed and hardly produce anything, but will rather blame it on oil thieves. Which oil thieves,” he queried.
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