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NNPCL, security agencies intensify crackdown on pipeline vandals
By Udeme Akpan & Obas Esiedesa
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), in collaboration with security agencies, has stepped up efforts to tackle pipeline vandalism following the discovery of a compromised section of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC) crude oil pipeline in Pai Community, located within the Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
A joint inspection team comprising representatives of NNPC’s Industry-wide Security Architecture (IWSA), NPSC, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) Special Prosecution Team (SPT), the FCT Police Command, the Nigerian Army, and other relevant security stakeholders visited the site to evaluate the damage.
The inspection was conducted to determine the extent of the vandalism, support ongoing investigations, and reinforce collaborative efforts aimed at safeguarding critical energy infrastructure from acts of economic sabotage.
The development comes after the arrest of three suspected pipeline vandals in the Piri and Pai communities during a coordinated operation involving ONSA’s Special Prosecution Team, the FCT Police Command, and NNPC Ltd.’s IWSA.
NPSC, a subsidiary of NNPC Ltd., manages over 5,000 kilometres of crude oil and petroleum product pipelines nationwide. Despite ongoing security measures, attacks on pipeline infrastructure have continued to rise, with criminal elements targeting facilities for illegal tapping and theft.
According to industry data, 19 incidents of pipeline vandalism were recorded in 2025, resulting in the loss of approximately nine kilometres of pipeline sections along the Enugu–Makurdi–Yola axis and the Piri–Izom stretch of the Warri–Kaduna pipeline corridor.
In 2026, five vandalism incidents have already been reported. These include cases recorded around Piri-Kwali and Gwagwalada along the Warri-Kaduna crude oil pipeline route, as well as Badanga on the Jos-Gombe pipeline corridor.
Speaking during the inspection, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, represented by the Chief Interface Officer, Dahiru Sani-Gwarzo, described the arrests as a significant breakthrough in efforts to dismantle criminal syndicates responsible for attacks on the nation’s energy assets.
He noted that the security framework is focused not only on apprehending those directly involved in the vandalism but also on tracking down financiers, collaborators, and buyers of stolen pipeline materials.