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
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a large consignment of cocaine concealed in heads of imported dry stock fish and arrested a key member of the syndicate responsible for shipping the drugs abroad.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
He said the arrest and seizure followed intelligence on trans-border criminal activities.
Babafemi said the intelligence led to a sting operation by operatives of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Strategic Command of the Agency at the Ojo area of Lagos on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
“In the course of the operation, three jumbo size bags were found in possession of the kingpin 36-year-old Akputa Dickson Ejike.
“A search of the bags led to the recovery of Two Hundred and Thirty-Seven (237) wraps of cocaine buried in the heads of imported dry stock fish locally known as ‘Okporoko.’
“The cocaine pellets have a gross weight of 5.80 kilograms. The consignment was intended for export to Delhi, India,” the statement read.
In a separate operation on Wednesday, March 25, NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted two consignments bound for the United Kingdom at a courier company in Lagos.
“In one of the shipments that originated from Cotonou, Benin Republic, 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine were found concealed in automobile filters while the second parcel contains 40 ampoules of Morphine Sulphate and nine ampoules of Fentanyl,” the statement said.
Babafemi added that on March 26, a Special Operations Unit (SOU) raided the home of 46-year-old Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, known as “Iya Ghana,” at 13 Carter Street, Yaba, Lagos.
According to him, she and her associate, 31-year-old Sarah Zainab Agbabiaka, were arrested after operatives recovered 135 blocks of cannabis weighing 76.30 kilograms.
“Same day, the SOU operatives also arrested Anayo Lucky Ohabiro, 39, at Doyin bus stop, Surulere, Lagos following credible intelligence. A total of 78 blocks of Ghana Loud weighing 41kg were seized from him,” he said.
In Ekiti State, the statement added that “an 80-year-old grandpa, Oke Samuel, was on Thursday 26th March arrested by NDLEA operatives during a special raid operation at Mosafuneto camp, Erinmo road, Efon-Alaaye Ekiti. A total of 2.2kg skunk and 1.8grams of methamphetamine were recovered from him.”
Another suspect, 37-year-old Enuwa Kehinde Kingsley, had 894.72 kilograms of skunk seized from an uncompleted building in Ogbese, Akure North, Ondo State.
Elsewhere, 35-year-old Saater Nyam was apprehended at Pevi village, Guma LGA, Benue State, with 116.7 kilograms of skunk on Tuesday, March 24.
In Edo State, a warehouse raid in Ekpoma town, Esan West LGA, on Monday, March 23, led to the arrest of 25-year-old Felix Donald and the seizure of 576.5 kilograms of skunk and 33 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
In Taraba State, Babafemi said NDLEA officers intercepted a truck carrying 100 blocks of compressed skunk weighing 135 kilograms concealed in animal feed bags from Garbachede to Gombe State on Tuesday, March 24.
Two suspects, 21-year-old Osama Mamuda and 22-year-old Auwal Umar, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
Babafemi noted that the agency has also continued its War Against Drug Abuse social advocacy, conducting sensitisation lectures in schools across Cross River, Adamawa, Oyo, Kano, and Lagos states.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Marwa (Rtd), commended operatives from MMIA, SOU, DOGI, Ekiti, Ondo, Benue, Edo, and Taraba Commands for their efforts and praised all commands nationwide for balancing drug supply reduction with drug demand reduction initiatives.
The Christian Association of Nigeria has called on political leaders at all levels to demonstrate empathy and take urgent steps to ease the growing economic hardship facing Nigerians, as Christians mark Palm Sunday.
In a statement issued on Sunday, CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, said the significance of Palm Sunday offers timely lessons for leadership, particularly during a period marked by economic strain and global uncertainty.
Reflecting on the biblical account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, Okoh noted that the moment symbolised humility, peace, and purposeful leadership rather than a display of power.
“Jesus entered Jerusalem with calm resolve at a time of uncertainty and expectation. It was not a show of force, but a message of peace, purpose, and hope,” he said.
He stressed that the country’s current socio-economic realities demand similar qualities from those in authority.
“Across Nigeria, many are feeling the weight of the times. The cost of living is rising, and for countless families, daily life is getting harder,” Okoh said.
He linked domestic economic challenges to global developments, particularly tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, which he said are disrupting energy markets worldwide.
“The impact is already here. Fuel is more expensive. Transport costs are rising. Food prices are climbing,” he said, warning that such pressures are intensifying the hardship faced by ordinary citizens.
The CAN president emphasised that in times of uncertainty, the tone and actions of leaders are critical in restoring public confidence.
“For many Nigerians, the concern is simple and immediate: how to cope, how to plan, how to stay afloat. When life feels this uncertain, people need reassurance, stability, and the quiet confidence that those in positions of responsibility understand what they are going through,” he stated.
He further urged leaders to embrace a style of governance rooted in restraint, compassion, and commitment to the common good.
“True leadership is not always loud. It is seen in empathy and in decisions that ease burdens, calm anxieties, and bring people together. This is a time for such wisdom,” Okoh added.
Beyond government, CAN also called on the Church and citizens to promote unity and peace, drawing inspiration from the collective spirit associated with Palm Sunday.
“It reminds us of a moment when people from all walks of life came together with one purpose. That same spirit is needed now. We must stand for peace, strengthen unity, and support one another,” he said.
Addressing young Nigerians and those most affected by the economic downturn, Okoh encouraged resilience and hope.
“The challenges are real, but they are not the end of the story,” he said, urging citizens not to lose faith amid difficulties.
He expressed hope that the lessons of Palm Sunday would inspire renewed commitment to national cohesion and shared progress.
“As we journey through this sacred season, may the spirit of Palm Sunday guide us towards quiet courage, shared purpose, and a renewed commitment to the good of all,” the statement added.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South -South to be united and work together to ensure that the ruling party achieves its ultimate goal in the region.
The governor who spoke at the South South Zonal Congress in Asaba, Delta State, said working in unity and with a common purpose will enable them deliver optimally to the electoral fortunes of the party in 2027.
“We can only achieve our goal when we are united and we work together. I surely believe that this is the right time, the right people and the right place. My charge to those of you elected today is that the responsibility is going to be very tasking but I believe strongly that they will deliver for our party,” he said.
Fubara expressed confidence that the newly elected leadership of the party would be equal to the task.
He expressed profound gratitude to the Delta State Government for hosting the Zonal Delegates Congress, stressing that he believes that the best will come from the South South region.
The Congress which attracted the creme de la creme of the APC in the zone, saw the re-election of the zonal leadership through consensus. The reinstated leaders were promptly inaugurated at the ceremony.
Some of the dignitaries in attendance include the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Governors Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, Duoye Doris of Bayelsa State, Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, Bassey Otu of Cross River State and Sheriff Oboroevwori of Delta State.
Also in attendance were the members of the National Assembly as well as members of the State Houses of Assembly from the South South Zone.
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