The exploration and development of the nigerian oil resource date back to the 1950s. The actors of illegal oil bunkering and oil theft in the niger delta factors engendering oil theft in the niger delta the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of oil theft the efforts of nigerian government to curb oil theft measures to combat oil thieves 3. Opds, which comprises of members of the nigerian navy, army, police, nigeria security and civil defence corps and custom service personnel was designed to ensure the safety of lives and property in the niger delta but with the continued unabated illegal oil bunkering activities which has translated into the loss of lives and attendant revenue. Scope and methodology this study essentially focused on the activities of oil theft in the niger delta region of nigeria from 2009 to 2014. Military involvement in oil theft in the niger delta. Pdf oil pipeline vandalism detection and surveillance system for. The data analysis technique utilized in this study is content analysis of data. Military involvement in oil theft in the niger delta the niger delta is the most important oilproducing region in africa, with its oil providing 70 per cent of nigeria s government revenue. Diebu, nigeria the first drops of crude float in the languid muddy currents of nigeria s oilrich southern delta, then slowly grow into the splatter of a massive crime scene. This paper examines the rising cases of oil theft in the niger delta region of nigeria which has negatively impacted on the nigerian economy. The main sources of oil spill in the niger delta are. Abstractoil bunkering holds a positive meaning in a general sense, but in the rich oil fields of the niger delta in west africa the term more often than not implies a criminal practice embedded in political, social and economic controversies.
The illegal oil industry in the niger delta has received much. Illegal bunkering of nigerian crude oil probably started in the late 1970s or early. This is because nigerian state solely depend oil generated revenues for her economic survival. Shell engineers have admitted turning a blind eye to oil bunkering. The upsurge of oil theft and illegal bunkering in the niger delta region of nigeria.
People involved in bunkering and artisanal refining. Organized oil pirate groups engage in oil bunkering, stealing nigerias crude oil. The upsurge of oil theft and illegal bunkering in the. Since 2012 the spdc jvs assets in ogoniland have been operated by the nigerian petroleum development company npdc, the production and exploration arm of the nigerian national. Pdf oil bunkering activities in the niger delta the way. Home to 20 million people and 40 different ethnic groups, this floodplain makes up 7. A cohort of 20 exmilitants from the urhobo speaking tribe within the nigerdelta region of nigeria that were enrolled in the amnesty program was used for this study. Oil pipeline vandalism in the niger delta and need, greed and grievance. The roles niger delta militants play in oil theft, particularly since the 2009 declaration of. Oil spills and explosions are a regular occurrence in the niger delta. Oil spillages and gas flaring are common occurrences in nigerias oil industry.
The nexus between amnesty programme and oil theft and illegal bunkering in the niger delta. Niger delta biodiversity trust with a collaborative engagement mechanism for. Managing the complex politics of petroviolence was first published in association with the nordic africa institute, po box 1703, se751 47 uppsala, sweden in. The spdc jv has produced no oil or gas in ogoniland since then although one of niger delta s main pipelines, the trans niger pipeline tnp, traverses ogoniland. The niger delta is home to about 140 different ethnic groups in the. One of the governors in the niger delta, the governor of delta state, emmanuel uduaghan, has claimed that anything happening in the niger delta today is linked to oil, and sustained by it, therefore something like illegal bunkering has a large international dimension to it. Royal dutch shell plc claims that 70 percent of all oil spills over the last five. Unfortunately, oil theft and other spate of insecurity did not only continue but became more 2014, observes that illegal oil bunkering in the niger delta region is one of the perennial problems of nigeria, which has grown in leaps and bounds and that the only way to stem this. The niger delta region, which is roughly synonymous with the niger delta province in location and the contemporary heart of the petroleum industry, is and was a zone of dense cultural diversity and is currently inhabited by roughly forty ethnic groups speaking an estimated 250 dialects. Any serious attempt to address the problem of alienation and militancy in the area must focus on the global, not just the local.
Crisis in the niger delta 1 introduction1 the demands of the population in the niger delta to enjoy greater benefit from the oil produced in their region continue to go unanswered. Oil and violence in the niger delta isnt talked about much, but it has a global impact university of houston energy fellows contributor university of houston energy fellows. Not a single one of the industrialized countries that makes use of shells oil has called for sanctions to be imposed on the oil companies operating in the niger delta. Niger delta, where they then transfer the oil onto barges and boats. Leader of the reformed niger delta avengers, rnda, and a coalition of nine other militant groups in the niger delta, selfstyled major general johnmark ezonebi. Pdf the nigerian state and crude oil bunkering in niger. Fishing communities in the oil rich niger delta region struggle to make ends meet as the effects of pollution and oil theft take their toll, the bbcs will ross says. Army destroy 46 oil bunker sites in niger delta the.
Oil bunkering activities in the niger delta the way forward. Illegal oil bunkering long prevalent in the delta has become a sophisticated operation that no longer requires the cooperation of oil company staff to operate equipment at wellheads or allow access though there are still reports that they are involved. Pdf oil bunkering activities in the niger delta the. A primer on nigerias oil bunkering council on foreign.
Nigerian army was not able to provide security for shell pipelines. Shell, which is probably the worst victim due to its vast oil and gas assets in the niger delta, has come out with a statement lamenting the impact of illegal oil bunkering on its many pipelines. The study further proved that persistence oil theft in the niger delta is due to the enthroned corruption by nigerian elites. Ekpomupolo went into hiding and the niger delta avengers began to initiate a series of sabotage campaigns against the chevron oil structures with the niger delta region in 2016. Tracing the origin of the niger delta crisis, ahmed said that apart from the fact that niger delta is the economic jewel of nigeria, as it hosts almost all of nigerias oil and gas that accounts. How top govt, security officials steal, aid oil thieves. Theres also largescale illegal bunkering in the field, in which. Nigeria, the worlds th largest producer, exports over 2 million. The study revealed that different individuals and groups were involved in oil theft and illegal bunkering activities. The people in the delta complain that oil spill pollution has made their water undrinkable, gas flaring has made the air unfit for breathing. Pdf upsurge of oil theft and illegal bunkering in the. How to steal 00 barrels of oil a day, and get away with it quartz. International journal of peace and conflict studies ijpcs, vol. Maritime aspects of illegal oilbunkering in the niger delta.
This study examines the effects of oil spills on fish production in the niger delta of nigeria from 19812015. Pipeline vandalism from bunkering leaves pipes especially vulnerable to leaks, spills, and major accidents. Illegal oil bunkering, violence and criminal offences in. Before the amnesty programme, several of the militant groups were involved in illegal oil bunkering. Prior to this time there was violent agitation by the people in the niger delta region as a result of resource distribution and environmental insecurity emanating from oil exploitation. Oil and violence in the niger delta isnt talked about.
Oil exploration and security challenges in the nigerdelta. It also coats birds, impairing their flight or reducing the insulative property of their. The creation of armed groups in the niger delta region can be located within the agitation of the niger delta region. The niger delta region is the oil producing area of nigeria, which consists of highly diverse ecosystems that are supportive of numerous species of terrestrial and aquatic fauna and flora. The current conflict in the niger delta first arose in the early 1990s over tensions between foreign oil corporations and a number of the niger delta s minority ethnic groups who feel they are being exploited, particularly the ogoni and the ijaw. Undp project document niger delta biodiversity project. Understanding the armed groups of the niger delta final. The unep environmental assessment of ogoniland shell. Oil bunkering undermining nigerian economy vanguard news. It was believed that illegal oil bunkering was a major source of funding the operations of the militants in the niger delta. The aim of this study is to critically examine the methods, actors, causes, impacts of oil theft and the measures adopted by nigerian governments to combat oil. Pdf impact of oil spill on living aquatic resources of the niger.
Crude oil spills endanger fish hatcheries in coastal water and also contaminate valuable fish. Pdf oil pipeline vandalism is on the increase in the oil rich nigeria niger delta region with over 400000 barrels of crude oil lost to crude oil. Oil bunkering activities in the niger delta the w ay forward oriji al urechi boniface 1, odagme baridor sam uel 2 1 department, of petroleum and gas engineering university of port. Available data shows that since 1989, shell petroleum development company spdc, one of the giant oil companies in the niger delta region has recorded an average of 221 oil spills peryear involving a total of 7,350 barrels spills annually spdc, 2000. However, alongside the legitimate trade in the delta s oil products, there is a lucrative and organised illicit oil trade that reportedly loses nigeria 200,000 barrels of oil every day. Oil bunkering threatens nigerias economy, environment. Currently most cargo companies except maersk use manual bills of lading. Pdf the upsurge of oil theft and illegal bunkering in. Shells growing liabilities in the niger delta lessons from the. The main focus has been on shell as the largest company operating on land in nigeria. The social conditions of the niger delta present a context and pretext for oil related crimes, among which is petroleum vandalism. Niger delta, where the company first struck oil in commercial quantities in. Arms proliferation has increased criminality, youth violence, hostage taking, militancy, community crises, drug abuse, oil bunkering and threat to peace and security in nigeria.
As a practice to gain financially, to adjust what is perceived to be governmental discrimination and to finance a range of opposition and criminal. Kidnapping in pre and postamnesty niger delta, nigeria. This study is qualitative and exploratory in approach. However, regardless of the wealth from the oil bearing area, the niger delta still remain one of the poorest and underdeveloped region in nigeria ereibi, 2011. Print and ebook editions of this work are available to zed. The nigerian army said it had destroyed 46 illegal bunker sites in akwa ibom, bayelsa and rivers at the justconcluded exercise crocodile smile. Effects of oil spills on fish production in the niger delta.
However, it is obvious that such bourgeois activity has not tangibly reflected upon the wellbeing of the people of niger delta, who are the immediate host to these. Case study 6 fly tipping of oilfield waste 001022 oil waste dump site. It is the largest wetland and maintains the thirdlargest drainage basin in africa. The local community perception of oil bunkering in the niger delta. Blood oil in the niger delta united states institute of peace. Nigerian air force destroys barges and canoes in attempt to halt oil bunkering oil bunkering is common in the oil rich niger delta, where the government is trying to stop further violence. Aiteo not behind nigerian protests over illegal bunkering. The region is characterised by high levels of poverty. The iocs, which regularly operate flights over their pipeline right.
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