News
Shell Loses $550m To Oil Theft …As Search Intensifies For Kidnapped Foreigners
The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), says it lost over $550million in June this year due to activities of crude oil thieves in the Niger Delta.
General Manager, Sustainable Development and Community Relations of SPDC, Dr Felix Eshfelvilla disclosed this to newsmen after visiting some of the company’s facilities in Rivers and Bayelsa States.
Dr Eshfelvilla said that an estimated quantity of 150 barrels of crude oil per day, amounting to over 5billion dollars per annual was stolen by illegal bunkerers.
He said this has impacted negatively on the economy, environmental and social lives of the communities, the states and the nation at large, adding that third party interference has also slowed down the country’s operations in the Niger Delta thereby affecting huge revenue and that of local, state and federal governments.
According to him, SPDC has adopted several strategies aimed at reducing or totally eradicating crude oil theft in the Niger Delta and appealed to the international community to assist in the efforts to combat the menace.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Navy yesterday intensified its search for four foreigners kidnapped during a deadly attack on a vessel belonging to an oil services company, the navy said.
The suspected pirates stormed the vessel belonging to the Sea Trucks Group early Saturday in the Gulf of Guinea, an area that has seen a sharp spike in the number of reported maritime attacks over the past six months.
“We have intensified our search for the kidnappers and the abducted four foreigners,” Nigerian navy spokesman, Commodore Kabir Aliyu told AFP.
Another naval officer, who declined to be named because he has no authority to speak to reporters, said that the search for the foreigners had continued in the creeks and waterways in the region.
A spokeswoman for Sea Trucks Group, which provides support vessels to oil companies operating in Nigeria, said yesterday that her company was focused on the safe release of the hostages.
“We are very focused on getting our crew back safely,” Corrie van Kessel told our correspondent on telephone.
She declined to say categorically if contacts have been established with the abductors and efforts being made to secure their freedom, saying that releasing such information “could jeopardise current efforts.”
Van Kessel confirmed that the four abducted foreigners were from Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and Thailand.
Sea Trucks Group is heavily involved in the oil and gas sector in the Niger Delta.
The group, which also operates in Australia and East Asia, was founded as a Nigerian firm in 1977 before expanding and currently has a “corporate support office” in the Netherlands, according to its website.
Aliyu said during the attack “four expatriates are reported to have been kidnapped from the vessel; two sailors were killed.”
Aliyu said six naval personnel were stationed on board the Sea Trucks Group vessel following a security request from the company.
The gunmen also shot and wounded two others while the remaining two escaped unhurt, he said.
The motive for the attack and the identities of the gunmen are still unknown, added Aliyu.
The volatile area was for years crippled by armed insurgency, largely made up of militants who claimed the region’s prosperous oil industry was not benefiting the local population and destroying the environment.
Armed groups in the Delta were notorious for kidnapping oil workers, especially foreigners.
A 2009 amnesty deal greatly reduced the unrest, but sporadic incidents have continued to occur including robberies and, most prominently, piracy.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said in a report released last month that there had been 32 piracy incidents recorded in the Gulf of Guinea in the first half of 2012, up from the 25 attacks in 2011.
Years of unrest in the Delta had curbed oil production in Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer and the world’s eighth largest, but output has recovered since the amnesty.
On Friday, Nigeria said oil production had hit its highest level ever, reaching 2.7 million barrels per day.
In a related development, the NNPC has pledged to collaborate with other agencies in efforts to stem crude oil theft in Nigeria.
A statement issued by NNPC’s Group General Manager (Public Affairs), Mr Fidel Pepple, in Abuja yesterday said that the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr Andrew Yakubu, made the promise.
The statement said that Yakubu, who made the pledge when members of the Inter-Agency Maritime Operation Committee paid him a courtesy visit, bemoaned the activities of unscrupulous individuals who engaged in oil theft.
It said that illegal bunkering and crude oil theft had negative impact on the economy and the environment, stressing that it should, therefore, be stamped out.
It said that the NNPC chief lamented that several thousands of barrels of crude oil were lost to illegal bunkering everyday.
“The blocking of this leakage would go a long way in efforts to improve the standard of living of Nigerians.’’
The statement also said that the Chairman of the Inter-Agency Maritime Operation Committee, Rear Admiral E. O. Ogboh said that the committee was established in June.
“He explained that it was set up to address illegal bunkering in the nation’s maritime waters,’’ it added.
The statement also quoted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Maritime, Mr Leke Oyewole as saying: “The committee was set up to ensure adequate collaboration among all agencies of government in the nation’s maritime industry.’’
Members of the committee were drawn from the NNPC, Nigerian Navy, Air Force, Customs Service, Police, State Security Service and the Judiciary.
Shedie Okpara
News
Be Patient With Us, Diri Tells Bayelsans … Inspects New 60mw IPP …Expresses Confidence In Technical Partners, BECL MD
The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has directed his lawyers to withdraw all ongoing defamation lawsuits against several individuals, saying he was moved by counsel during a New Year Mass.
Speaking at the Sacred Heart Parish in Uyo, yesterday, Akpabio said he had filed nearly nine lawsuits against individuals he accused of defaming him.
He said, “I had almost nine cases in court against some individuals who defamed me, who lied against me, who slandered my name.
“But I listened to the priest and suddenly realised he was talking to me, so I hereby direct my solicitor to withdraw all lawsuits against them.”
In 2025, Akpabio had filed several high-profile defamation lawsuits, including one against colleague Senator Natasha Akpoti?Uduaghan.
In late 2025, Akpabio filed a N200 billion defamation lawsuit against her over allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied and urged her to substantiate in court.
Earlier in the year, Akpabio’s wife also filed defamation suits against Akpoti?Uduaghan over claims she said had harmed her family’s reputation.
Relations between the two lawmakers soured after Akpoti?Uduaghan accused Akpabio of influencing her suspension from the Senate in March 2025, following her public allegations of misconduct.
The Senator had previously challenged actions taken against her in court, including a N100 billion defamation suit she filed against Akpabio and other defendants over alleged remarks that she said damaged her reputation.
With yesterday’s announcement, Akpabio has formally ended all pending legal disputes arising from defamation claims, signalling closure to the publicised litigations as the year begins.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that the best form of gratitude Rivers people owe President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for protecting the interest of the State is to galvanize massive support for the President in 2027.
Fubara disclosed this last Monday during the commissioning of Permanent Secretaries Quarters built by his administration at Elimgbu in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of the State.
He said that the State has what it takes to deliver the President during the 2027 general elections.
“We’ve taken a decision,our decision is for the good of Rivers State, our decision is to say thank you for the protection we have from Mr President, our decision is to prove that we have what it takes to deliver Mr President.”
Fubara expressed delight over the completion of the project, stating that the initiative was to provide accommodation, a basic need of life for public servants in the state to improve their productivity.
He explained that lack of effective social welfare was at the root of some incriminating actions that undermine the purpose of governance, noting that the commissioning of the newly built Permanent Secretaries Quarters marks a significant milestone in civil service welfare and institutional development.
“Insecurity begins when individuals are uncertain of what the next hour holds. This situation is especially challenging for family men and women, affecting confidence and decision-making,” he observed.
Fubara emphasized the need for proper maintenance of the facility and urged the beneficiaries to protect the project like a personal property, while directing the State Head of Service to appoint a facility manager to ensure long-term maintenance.
In her remarks, the Special Guest of Honour and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who unveiled the project, expressed appreciation to the governor and Rivers State for inviting her to commission the project.
She commended Fubara for prioritizing the welfare of Permanent Secretaries who are senior public servants and accounting officers, noting that the project reflects purposeful and visionary leadership, and urged other states to borrow a cue from the Rivers State Governor.
Walson-Jack described the initiative as a strategic investment in staff welfare and institutional continuity which she noted is in line with Renewed Hope Initiative on provision of mass housing and social stability.
“The commissioning of these houses reflect a deliberate commitment to the dignity, welfare, and productivity of senior public servants responsible for policy coordination and service delivery,” she said.
In his goodwill message, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibode Bashiru, who led a high powered delegation on a visit to the governor, congratulated Rivers people for aligning with the Pan Nigerian political party, assuring that the interest of Rivers State will be duly protected in the APC.
He described President Bola Tinubu as a detribalised Nigerian who anchors his leadership on equity, fairness and justice, adding that the APC will provide a level playing ground for all.
The APC chief scribe also commended Fubara for providing good accommodation for public servants, stating that it will address issues of sabotage, compromise and disloyalty on the part of public servants.
Giving the project description, Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Works, Dr. Austin Ezekiel-Hart, said the estate comprises 29 units, including nine standalone duplexes and 20 terrace buildings.
Facilities feature a water treatment plant, synchronized power generators, CCTV and alarm systems, a gym, recreational areas, and green spaces—designed to enhance comfort, performance, and productivity.
Earlier, the Head of the Rivers State Civil Service, Dr Mrs Inyingi Brown, had thanked the governor for his visionary initiative and unwavering commitment to the welfare of Rivers State Civil Servants, and restated the commitment of the State civil servants to the success of Fubara’s administration.
By: Taneh Beemene
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