The civil rights and non-governmental organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), have threatened to sue President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration over the illegal oil pipelines discovered in the country.
“We’re suing the Buhari administration over the discovery of illegal oil pipelines,” SERAP said in a statement via its Twitter handle on Sunday.
Nigeria’s chief executive officer of National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari, told a joint Senate committee last week Tuesday that it has uncovered a four-kilometre theft pipeline from Forcados Terminal that is operated by Shell.
Kyari noted that the illegal oil connection line from Forcados Terminal into the sea which had been in operation for nine years was detected during a clampdown in the past six weeks.
“In the course of the clampdown within the last six weeks, 395 illegal refineries have been deactivated, 274 reservoirs destroyed, 1,561 metal tanks destroyed, 49 trucks seized,” Kyari said.
He added that as a result of oil theft, Nigeria loses about 600,000 barrels per day, which is not healthy for the nation’s economy, and in particular, the legal operators in the field, which had led to a closedown of some of their operational facilities.
SERAP however compel the Nigerian government to name those responsible for the plundering of the country’s oil wealth, bring them to justice, and recover the proceeds of crime.
The ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo), during a press briefing on the illegal crude oil pipeline on Sunday, disclosed that over 58 points have been tapped have been discovered in both Delta and Bayelsa states.
