Government officials, religious leaders, security agencies and even some NNPC staff have been accused of stealing the nation’s crude oil.
Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Group, Kyari who made the accusation during the 49th session of the weekly ministerial briefing at the State House in Abuja, insisted that oil theft is largely carried out by Nigerians.
According to Channels TV reports, the NNPC boss stated that the stolen products are found mostly in churches and mosques and that there has been a network of vandals working in collaboration with others to continue stealing oil.
The NNPC boss disclosed that the entire network of pipelines for petroleum products distribution in the country has been shut down, as a result of the activities of vandals.
To further address the menace, the Group CEO announced that a national reserve company will be established to manage the pipelines on a commercial basis to efficiently put them to use for the distribution of products across the country.
According to him, crude oil theft which has resulted in the discovery of 295 illegal connections making it difficult for oil companies to operate efficiently has been very difficult to manage but they are not helpless.