The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has revealed that it recorded 24 incidents of pipeline vandalism and theft between 2025 and 2026, highlighting the persistent challenge of protecting the nation’s critical oil infrastructure.
The disclosure followed a joint inspection of a vandalised section of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC) crude oil pipeline in Pai Community, located in the Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a statement issued by NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, the company disclosed that 19 cases were recorded in 2025, while an additional five incidents have been documented so far in 2026.
The inspection was carried out by NNPC and NPSC alongside the Office of the National Security Adviser’s Special Prosecution Team, the Nigerian Army, the FCT Police Command and other security agencies.
The visit came on the heels of the arrest of three suspected pipeline vandals in the Piri and Pai communities during a coordinated security operation.
According to the company, pipeline theft has continued to rise since 2024, with criminal groups allegedly masquerading as members of an “NNPC/Federal Government Taskforce for Recovery of Abandoned Pipelines” to gain access to pipeline corridors and remove infrastructure with the assistance of local collaborators.
NNPC disclosed that approximately nine kilometres of pipeline were stolen in 2025 along the Enugu–Makurdi–Yola axis and the Piri–Izom stretch of the Warri–Kaduna pipeline network.
The company further stated that the five incidents reported this year occurred in Piri-Kwali and Gwagwalada along the Warri-Kaduna crude oil pipeline corridor, as well as in Badanga along the Jos-Gombe pipeline route.
Speaking during the inspection, NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, represented by the Chief Interface Officer, Dahiru Sani-Gwarzo, said the recent arrests marked progress in efforts to dismantle organised criminal networks targeting oil and gas assets.
He stressed that security agencies were not only focused on those directly involved in vandalism but also on uncovering and prosecuting the sponsors and financiers behind the operations.
“These individuals are part of a larger criminal network. Our objective is to identify and bring to justice those who coordinate and profit from the destruction of national assets,” he said.
Ojulari noted that pipeline vandalism poses serious threats beyond financial losses, warning that such activities weaken energy security, discourage investment and hamper national economic growth.
Also speaking, the Commissioner of Police for the FCT Command, Ahmed Sanusi, said the successful operation reflected the determination of security agencies to safeguard critical infrastructure across the country.
He explained that the suspects were arrested after extensive intelligence gathering, surveillance and targeted patrols following reports of illegal activities along the affected pipeline corridors.
Sanusi added that ongoing investigations had already yielded useful information regarding those sponsoring the criminal activities and the buyers of stolen pipeline materials, assuring that all those connected to the crime would face prosecution.