Over 15,000 vandalism incidents were recorded from 2010 to 2015, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru, has said.
Baru, who made this known when he visited the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu at the Corps' headquarters in Abuja last week, said at least 3000 vandalism incidents were recorded in each of those years.
"In January to May this year, 1447 incidents have been recorded resulting in a loss of 109 million litres of petroleum products and 560, 000 barrels of crude oil to refineries," he added.
Baru stressed that other impacts of vandalism include; loss of lives, high cost of operations, refinery shutdown, fuel crisis and large scale environmental degradation and attendant cost impacts of oil spill clean-up.
The NNPC boss also lamented that activities of vandals and militancy have grossly impacted the 2.2 million barrel per day crude oil production projection of the country with about 700,000 barrel per day of oil produced being curtailed due to pipeline vandalism.
While adding that domestic natural gas supply to power is equally impacted with estimated drop of about 50 percent, Baru sought for partnership with the NSCDC to secure the critical assets of the Corporation.
He said "we have recognized the importance of the Civil Defence Corps being a grassroots paramilitary agency much closer to our facilities than any of the security agencies", urging it to continue supporting the NNPC through reporting incidences and arresting of vandals and thieves of both crude oil and products.
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