Niger Delta Monarch Warns on Oil Theft Crisis

By Babatunji Wusu| Fresh alarm has been raised over the growing problem of crude oil theft in the Niger Delta oil theft crisis, with the traditional ruler of Upata Kingdom in Ahoada East, Rivers State, His Royal Majesty Felix Otuwarikpo, alleging that powerful elites are deeply involved in the illegal trade and the sabotage of oil facilities.

Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Press Week of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ in Rivers State, the monarch urged journalists to step up investigative reporting Nigeria and expose those behind pipeline vandalism and economic sabotage. He said the media must go beyond blaming poverty and focus on elite involvement in crude oil theft.

He stated: “The elite sponsor people to indulge in pipelines vandalism at the community level, so we should begin to look beyond blaming poverty and illiteracy. We should broaden our assertions to include elite class involvement in order to find lasting solutions.”

He further urged the press to intensify scrutiny of the oil sector to expose sponsors of crude oil theft.

Former Edo State Governor and Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, was also referenced for alleging in the Senate that retired military officers may be involved in oil theft networks. Meanwhile, the League of Maritime Editors (LOME) backed concerns that crude oil theft remains a major threat to Nigeria oil production and national revenue.

In its statement, signed by President Remi Tie, LOME warned that the situation has worsened despite efforts to stabilise output. It linked losses to pipeline vandalism, weak enforcement, and structural gaps in NNPCL operations and maritime security.

The group stated: “As rightly stated by His Royal Majesty, Felix Otuwarikpo, crude oil theft is a well organised crime that has become a money spinning business that can not be funded or sponsored by poor and uneducated people.”

It also criticised gaps in accountability among key agencies, stressing that repeated incidents of crude oil theft continue to weaken the economy and frustrate production targets.