Shell witnessing rise in crude oil theft in Nigeria; ...threatens to shut down its facilities

The failure of the federal government to provide adequate security to crude oil facilities is causing so much loss that Nigeria’s largest crude producer has threatened to shut down its facilities.

Global oil giant, Shell, the largest producer of Nigerian crude, said on Sunday that it has witnessed a sporadic rise in crude oil theft in the last three weeks than it witnessed in the past three years.


“We have now witnessed a significant upsurge in the activities of crude oil thieves. The situation in the last few weeks is unprecedented.

“The volume (of crude oil) being stolen is the highest in the last three years. Over 60, 000 barrels per day from Shell alone,” Mutiu Sunmonu, the Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, lamented to journalists on Sunday.

Mr. Sunmonu said apart from the astronomical rise in crude oil theft, the perpetrators have also become emboldened and more sophisticated.

“Over time, this whole crime has got a lot more sophisticated and you could see that the perpetrators are now setting up barge building yards; they are setting up storage facilities; they are setting up tank farms for storing the crude oil, prior to shipping out,” he said.


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