The company disclosed that 24 cases of pipeline vandalism have been recorded along key pipeline corridors since 2025, with approximately nine kilometres of pipeline infrastructure stolen by suspected vandals.
The revelation emerged during a joint inspection of a vandalised section of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC) crude oil pipeline in Pai Community, Kwali Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The inspection was conducted by NNPC Ltd’s Industry-Wide Security Architecture and NPSC in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) Special Prosecution Team, the FCT Police Command, the Nigerian Army and other security agencies following the arrest of three suspected pipeline vandals in the Piri and Pai communities.
In a statement issued on Thursday, NNPC Ltd’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, said the exercise was aimed at assessing the extent of damage to critical national assets, advancing ongoing investigations and strengthening efforts to combat economic sabotage.
Oil Pipeline Theft Increase
According to the company, pipeline theft across the NPSC network has increased significantly since 2024.
“NPSC, a subsidiary of NNPC Ltd, owns more than 5,000 kilometres of crude oil and petroleum products pipeline network. Pipeline theft across NPSC’s network has been on the increase since 2024,” the statement said.
The company revealed that the perpetrators often operate under the guise of a government-backed recovery initiative.
“Well-equipped criminals disguising themselves as the ‘NNPC/Federal Government Taskforce for Recovery of Abandoned Pipelines’ connive with locals to dig out and steal these pipelines,” the statement added.
NNPC disclosed that 19 cases were recorded in 2025, resulting in the theft of about nine kilometres of pipeline along the Enugu–Makurdi–Yola corridor and sections between Piri and Izom on the Warri-Kaduna pipeline route.
So far in 2026, five additional incidents have been reported at Piri-Kwali and Gwagwalada along the Warri-Kaduna crude oil pipeline, as well as at Badanga on the Jos-Gombe pipeline corridor.
The affected infrastructure serves as a strategic route for transporting crude oil from the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company to the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company.
