Rivers State sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), has called for the effective prosecution of oil thieves to curb the rampant economic sabotage crippling Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Ibas made the call on Friday when members of the Senate Committee on Incessant Crude Oil Theft, led by their chairman, Senator Ned Nwoko, visited him at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
He stated that weak punishment for offenders emboldens criminality, depriving the nation of critical revenue needed for development.
The sole administrator 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.”
Ibas commended the legislative committee’s mandate to investigate oil theft across oil-producing States and terminals, expressing the confidence that their recommendations would strengthen Nigeria’s economic base.
He highlighted Rivers State’s progress in reducing pipeline vandalism through
Improved intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination, adding that his administration was planning to deploy digital surveillance systems over oil installations and Port Harcourt’s ‘Safe-City’ security architecture.
Ibas said: “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.”
Earlier in his remarks, Senator Nwoko affirmed the Committee’s resolve to identify and dismantle oil 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.”
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