Abuja: Nigeria’s national oil company, NNPC Limited, has announced that crude oil pipeline theft once described as an existential threat to the country’s energy sector has been “nearly eliminated.” The breakthrough, achieved through sweeping security reforms and coordinated intelligence operations, is now fueling hopes of a long-awaited recovery in Africa’s largest oil-producing nation.
For years, organized theft and vandalism along pipelines in the Niger Delta crippled Nigeria’s exports, causing billions in losses and denting its status as a reliable supplier in global markets. At one point, only 30 percent of crude pumped reached export terminals, forcing the government to scale back projections and undermining its fiscal stability.
Group CEO Bayo Ojulari, speaking at a security forum in Abuja, credited the turnaround to a united front involving the military, intelligence services, private contractors, and community-based initiatives. By tightening surveillance, dismantling illicit refineries, and sealing illegal connections, the state-owned company has seen export deliveries rise to nearly 100 percent a dramatic reversal from just three years ago.
In early 2025, the NNPC uncovered 179 theft-related incidents in a single week, including 55 illegal refineries and dozens of unlawful pipeline taps. Today, those numbers have dwindled to negligible levels, with officials reporting complete pipeline availability as of July a first in decades.
The impact of this security success is already visible. Investor confidence in Nigeria’s oil sector is rising, while projections suggest production could exceed 2.5 million barrels per day by 2026 a figure last seen in 2005 before militant disruptions slashed output to near 1 million barrels per day by 2016.
Analysts say the government’s aggressive crackdown, coupled with the involvement of firms like Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), which emphasized local engagement and intelligence-led monitoring, has transformed the dynamics of oil security in the volatile Delta region.
Despite the optimism, experts warn that vigilance must remain constant. Oil theft syndicates are adaptive, and security lapses could quickly reverse progress. Still, for now, Nigeria is celebrating a milestone that once seemed elusive: pipelines flowing freely, revenues stabilizing, and a renewed path toward economic growth.
The challenge ahead lies not just in keeping theft at bay, but also in channeling the gains into broader reforms that ensure oil wealth translates into sustainable development for communities long plagued by neglect and instability.