Crude Oil Theft: HURIWA Seeks Death Penalty for Oil Thieves After Nigeria Lost N2.3trn In 3 Months

The economic losses resulting from crude oil theft have forced the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) to suggest death penalty for oil thieves.

The group made the call on Wednesday in response to the revelation by the Senate that Nigeria lost N2.3 trillion to oil theft in the first quarter of 2023.

At the Senate on Tuesday, Senator Ned Nwoko decried how the country was losing billions of dollars to oil thieves and vandals.

“In March 2023, Nigeria incurred a substantial loss of 65.7 million barrels of crude oil, valued at $83 per barrel, translating to a staggering revenue loss of N2.3 trillion because of oil theft,” Nwoko said.

Nigeria’s crude oil revenues dropped drastically after crude oil production fell to 972,000 barrels per day at the height of crude oil theft activities in August 2022.

Through the efforts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd and its security partners- the Joint Task Force of the Nigerian military and host communities, crude oil production has risen to 1.72 million barrels per day as of September 2023.

HURIWA said in a statement signed by the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, that the Nigerian government needs a “comprehensive action to recover the public funds from the perpetrators and proposed the death penalty for anyone found guilty of crude oil theft.”

Nigeria’s crude oil theft has been described as an organised crime aided by security agencies.

HURIWA said, “Oil theft was not only a crime against the state, but also a crime against humanity, as it deprived millions of Nigerians of their rightful share of the nation’s wealth and resources. HURIWA said that oil theft was tantamount to economic sabotage and treason, and should be treated as such.

“It is unacceptable that Nigeria, which has vast oil and gas reserves, is losing billions of dollars every year due to oil theft, while millions of its citizens were living in abject poverty and underdevelopment. It is time for Nigeria to adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards oil theft, and to impose severe sanctions on anyone involved in it.

The group maintained it was in “favour of applying the death penalty for oil thieves, as it would serve as a deterrent and a warning to others.”