Niger Delta
Delta Moves To Check Crude Oil Theft
The Delta State Gov
ernment has introduced measures to stop crude oil theft, its Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mr Omamofe Pirah, has said.
The commissioner said this, in Asaba, while presenting his mid-term report.
He said the government had provided logistics support to various security agencies operating in Delta, including vehicles and boats to the Joint Task Force (JTF), to boost efforts to curtail the menace.
Pirah said that the government had also concluded plans to rehabilitate some non-functional boats as well as buy new ones for the navy and army.
According to him, the navy and army have been on surveillance and monitoring of oil and gas facilities in the state.
Pirah added that the security agencies had raided and destroyed some illegal oil and gas facilities in the state, seizing vessels used for crude oil trafficking.
He further said that the ministry had organised town hall meetings in various oil-producing communities to sensitise them on the government’s plan to deal with those involved in the act.
The commissioner said that the government had been encouraging the communities to establish vigilance groups to keep watch on oil and gas facilities in their localities.
He said that since the Federal Government appointed Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Chairman of its Security Strategy and Committee to curb oil theft, three major pipeline trunks: Trans-Niger Nembe-Creek and Tebidaba-Brass pipelines, had been restored.
According to him, the restoration has increased the country’s crude oil production with about 400,000 barrels daily.