From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), has called for the effective prosecution of oil thieves to curb the rampant economic sabotage crippling Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
The administrator made the declaration while hosting the Senate Committee on Incessant Crude Oil Theft, led by its Chairman, Senator Ned Nwoko, at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday.
Vice Admiral Ibas stressed that weak punishment for offenders emboldens criminality, depriving the nation of critical revenue needed for development.
He said: “Your presence here is both significant and timely. Crude oil theft strikes at the heart of Nigeria’s economic survival, undermining President Bola Tinubu’s reforms to boost oil production and fund national infrastructure.”
He commended the Committee’s mandate to investigate oil theft across producing states and terminals, expressing confidence that their recommendations would strengthen Nigeria’s economic base.
The administrator highlighted Rivers State’s progress in reducing pipeline vandalism through improved intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination.
He advocated structured engagements with traditional rulers and community stakeholders, planned deployment of digital surveillance systems over oil installations and Port Harcourt’s “Safe-City” security architecture.
“As a major oil-producing state, we are committed to eliminating threats to production. Our goal is a secure, tech-driven monitoring framework to safeguard assets and boost output.”
To tackle oil theft nationally, Vice Admiral Ibas urged strict prosecution of offenders – to ensure convicted oil thieves face deterrent penalties.
He added that there should be Tamper-Proof Metering Systems, that is fixing faulty metering, which accounts for 40 percent of oil losses.
Also, the administrator stated that there should be enhanced Naval and security funding to strengthen the Nigerian Navy and maritime agencies.
•Vice Admiral Ibas mentioned Global Surveillance Investment to expand monitoring to backwaters and international waters, where large-scale theft occurs.
In his response, Senator Ned Nwoko affirmed the Committee’s resolve to identify and dismantle theft networks, both onshore and offshore.
Nwoko said: “We need Rivers State’s support to end this menace. Big-time thieves operate in international waters, and we must collaborate to secure Nigeria’s resources.”
The Committee, inaugurated three months ago, will submit actionable solutions to the National Assembly to sanitize the oil sector.
Next steps to be taken in tackling oil theft would be immediate rollout of digital surveillance in Rivers State; close collaboration between the State and Senate Committee and push for stricter legal consequences for oil thieves.
Vice Admiral Ibas reiterated Rivers State’s readiness to partner with federal stakeholders to protect national assets and restore Nigeria’s oil revenue potential.