The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC Ltd, has uncovered a criminal network posing as an “NNPC/Federal Government Task Force for Recovery of Abandoned Pipelines” to steal oil pipelines, with about 9km of infrastructure vandalised along the Warri-Kaduna crude corridor.
Three suspected vandals were arrested during a coordinated operation in Piri and Pai communities of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The arrests led to a joint inspection of a vandalised pipeline segment at Pai Community in Kwali Area Council by NNPC, its subsidiary Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company, NPSC, security agencies and other stakeholders.
—“NNPC/FG Task Force” used as cover for theft—
In a statement by Chief Corporate Communications Officer Andy Odeh, NNPC said the inspection aimed to assess damage to critical oil infrastructure, advance investigations and strengthen efforts against economic sabotage.
NPSC manages over 5,000km of crude oil and petroleum products pipelines nationwide but has recorded rising vandalism since 2024.
The company disclosed 24 cases of pipeline vandalism along affected corridors since 2025.
Of the figure, 19 incidents were recorded in 2025 alone, resulting in the theft of approximately 9km of pipeline sections on the Enugu-Makurdi-Yola corridor and between Piri and Izom on the Warri-Kaduna pipeline route.
Five additional cases have already been reported in 2026 at Piri-Kwali, Gwagwalada and Badanga along the Warri-Kaduna and Jos-Gombe pipeline corridors.
The Warri-Kaduna pipeline is strategic infrastructure that transports crude oil from Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company to Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company.
—Arrests a “breakthrough” in anti-sabotage fight—
NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer Bashir Ojulari, represented by Chief Interface Officer Dahiru Sani-Gwarzo, described the arrests as a significant breakthrough in combating pipeline sabotage.
He said security agencies are intensifying efforts to identify and prosecute the masterminds, noting that pipeline vandalism threatens national development, energy security and investor confidence.
FCT Commissioner of Police Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi said intelligence gathering and surveillance led to the arrests. He added that investigations have generated useful leads on sponsors and buyers of stolen pipeline materials.
Director of Energy Security at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Goodluck Ebele, urged residents near pipeline infrastructure to report suspicious activities. Representatives of the Nigerian Army and National Assembly pledged continued support for protecting oil and gas assets and strengthening legal measures against economic sabotage.
Industry observers warn that continued attacks on the Warri-Kaduna pipeline could jeopardise plans to resume operations at the Kaduna refinery, which depends on crude supplies through the pipeline network.
