Crude Oil Theft, Illegal Bunkering and Pipeline Vandalism in Nigeria’s Niger Delta: Effects and National Responses to Curb the Menace.

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the fact that Nigeria lost large scale of petroleum resources valued as huge financial losses to the nation, individuals, and other institutions, this paper examined crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria; effects and national responses. The findings show that crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, and pipeline vandalism have caused adverse effects such as socio-economic losses to Nigeria, environmental pollution and degradation, a threat to national and international security, and caused huge losses to national and international oil companies and individuals. To ensure the smooth operation of the country’s oil industry, various administrations have carried out various national responses to curb the menace. These include enactment of laws, arrest, and prosecution of perpetrators, strengthening security arrangements, the establishment of the Inter-Agency Maritime Security Task Force (IAMSTF) and the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), granting of amnesty to ex-militants and collaboration with regional and international partners to curb the menace of crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta. Therefore, the paper concluded that it is due to faulty implementation of such national responses that the phenomenon is unabated.