Fakoyejo OlalekanEx-militant, Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, revealed that in the Nigeria Delta region, there are 58 illegal crude oil tapping sites.
Tompola’s revelation comes after the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited discloses that a 4km illegal pipeline was discovered in Delta State.
The illegal 4km pipeline is said to have been in operation for nine years before the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Although this timeframe is being disputed.
According to Tompolo during a press conference at Oporoza, Gbaramatu kingdom in Delta state, he said the 58 illegal crude oil tapping sites are in Bayelsa and Delta states.
Recall that Tompolo has been contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited to secure the pipelines in the Niger Delta region. An appointment that has been heavily criticised due to Tompolo’s history as a militant attacking oil pipelines.
Aside from Tompolo’s disclosure, 265 illegal refineries were also reportedly discovered in the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) corridor.
Recently, there have been many discoveries of illegal pipelines with the administration of Buhari coming to an end in few months time. Note that the illegal pipelines are part of the factors responsible for Nigerian oil production falling below two million barrels per day.
Prior to President Buhari’s administration, Nigeria was producing above two million barrels per day, but this dropped in 2016, one year into his tenure, and the country has been struggling to produce above 1.6 million.
The Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Bala Wunti, had stated that, NNPC is working to “bring back the missing and lost barrels!”
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