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NNPC to resume oil prospecting in Lake Chad – GMD

NNPC to resume oil prospecting in Lake Chad Basin – GMD

NAN-H-63

Exploration

Maiduguri, May 15, 2017 (NAN) The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it will resume oil prospecting in the Lake Chad Basin of Borno.

The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru, disclosed this when he visited Gov. Kashim Shettima at the Government House in Maiduguri on Monday.

Baru was represented at the occasion by the NNPC Chief Operations Officer, who is also the Executive Director, Gas and Power, Mr Saidu Mohammed.

He said that the corporation had concluded arrangement to mobilise heavy and sophisticated equipment to resume oil prospecting in the Lake Chad Basin.

He said the resumption, which would be done in the next six weeks, was based on the military’s assurance to provide adequate security.

Baru explained that the move was due to the present relative peace in the state and the degrading of Boko Haram insurgents in the North East region.

“ We are here in Borno to express our full alignment to the ongoing Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement process by government in all the liberated communities.

“Therefore, NNPC wants to appeal and seek where it can come in and assist because the rate of devastation is worrisome.

“We are also in the state to inform you that in the next six weeks, we are going to redeploy our team of experts back to Maiduguri to resume oil exploration with better technology in the Lake Chad Basin.

“This is necessary with our renewed efforts in harnessing Oil, Gas and Power to increase the economy of the nation in line with the agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari on job creation and economic diversification,” Baru said.

Responding, Shettima commended the team for the visit and the NNPC’s resolve to resume oil exploration in the region.

The governor said his administration would partner with NNPC to actualise the mission.

According to him, the oil and gas, if found, will not only generate revenue but create employment opportunities to the people across the country, particularly the North East region.

Shettima therefore appealed to NNPC to assist the state government in reconstructing and rebuilding thousands of schools, and other facilities and infrastructure destroyed by insurgents.

He stressed that the education sector remained the only means of fighting poverty associated with emergence of Boko Haram.

The team also paid courtesy call on the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Garbai El-Kanemi, in his palace.

The monarch equally solicited the support of NNPC in the ongoing reconstruction and resettlement of millions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back to their liberated communities. (NAN)

ABI/JEO/MST

Edited by Jane-Frances Oraka/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Nigeria loses N780bn to illegal activities of oil thieves daily – Don

Nigeria loses N780bn to illegal activities of oil thieves daily – Don

NAN-H-58
Thieves
Kano, May 4, 2017 (NAN) Nigeria is losing about N780 billion daily to the illegal activities of oil thieves in the country, a don has said.

Dr Dahiru Usman, a lecturer in the Department of Public Law, Bayero University, Kano, disclosed this in a paper he presented at the unveiling of the new NIPOST anti-corruption stamps in Kano on Thursday.

The event was organised by NIPOST in collaboration with the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission, EFCC and ICPC.

According to Him, the trend led to pipeline damages that were often severe, causing pollution and forcing oil companies to stop production.

“Historically, bunkering was first introduced in Nigeria in 1979. The Department of Petroleum Resources was the regulatory agency that issues licences to bunkers.

“The issuance of licence was suspended in 2000, but resumed in 2013 under the former administration of President Goodluck Jonathan due to irregularities and sharp practices in the oil and gas sector,” he said.

He, however, noted that appropriate bunkering business is a money generation venture for the government.

“Revenue comes to government through licencing and renewals of bunkers, among other issues, thus, theft of the oil is minimised and pipes vandalism stopped,’’ said the don.

He therefore stressed the need for the government to regulate and protect legal bunkers as failure to do so would encourage illegal bunkering and decisively deal with illegal bankers.

“This is necessary because illegal bunkers do sell cheaper and will drive legal bunkers out of business thereby killing the legal bunkering business,’’ Usman said.

According to him, illegal bunkering causes the country to bleed economically and no government could afford to allow such illegal actions.

“Regulation is very necessary for revenue generation through licencing of bunkers and the protection of the country’s oil infrastructure.’’

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also reports that the title of the paper is: “An Overview of The Offence of Theft and Bunkering Under the Nigerian Law’’. (NAN)
MTM/MST

E‎dited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Judiciary

3 men jailed 40 months for stealing palm oil, phones

NAN-H-38

Jail

Jos, March 14, 2017 (NAN) A Jos Chief Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday sentenced three men – David Bulus, 24, Adebayo Musa, 25, and Hafisu Ibrahim, 28 – to a total of 40 months in prison, for stealing palm oil.

Other items stolen by the convicts included phones and TV monitor, valued at N128,000, and N6,000 cash.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the first accused, Bulus, was charged with criminal trespass, house breaking and theft, while the second and third accused were charged with receiving stolen property.

The magistrate, Mr Jovita Binjin, sentenced the trio after pleading guilty to the crimes.

Binjin sentenced Bulus to 20 months in prison for the offences of trespass, house breaking and theft, while the second and third accused were jailed 10 months each, for receiving stolen property.

He, however, gave the first convict an option of N10,000 fine, while the second and third accused were given fine options of N5,000 each.

The magistrate said that the sentence was meant to serve as a deterrent to those who might want to engage in similar acts.

Earlier, the police prosecutor, Mr Shuaibu Mohammed, had told the court that one Ndubuisi Uche, resident at No. 38 Nabor, Nasarawa Gwom, reported the matter at the Nasarawa Gwom Police Station, on March 8.

Mohammed said that the first accused person, Bulus, broke into the complainant’s house and stole some items and listed them to include palm oil, a TV monitor, UPS, two phones, some scraps, and N6,000 cash.

The prosecutor told the court that Bulus later sold the stolen palm oil to one Hafiu Ibrahim, at the rate of N10,500, while the scraps were sold to one Adebayo Musa, at the rate of N2,500.

He said that the accused person sold the remaining items to two other persons, who had not been arrested.

“During police investigation, the accused persons pleaded guilty thereby running foul of sections 348, 346, 288 and 317 of the Penal Code,” he told the court. (NAN)

ADY/ETS
=======

Edited by Ephraims Sheyin

Defence/Security

Navy apprehends 9 suspected oil thieves in Delta

Navy apprehends 9 suspected oil thieves in Delta
NAN-H-46
Navy
Warri (Delta), Jan. 30, 2017 (NAN) The Nigerian Navy on Monday said it had apprehended nine suspected oil thieves in its ongoing “Operation Water Sweet” in Delta.
The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Central Naval Command, Rear Adm. Mohammed Garba, disclosed this to newsmen at the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS), DELTA, Warri Naval Base.
He also said that about 42 illegal refining camps; 3,000 metric tons of suspected stolen crude oil and 1,000 metric tons of illegally refined diesel were destroyed during the operation.
Garba, who was flanked by the outgoing Commander of the NNS Delta, Commodore Joseph Dzunve, and his successor, Commodore Ibrahim Dewu, also said the feat was achieved in the last one week.
He noted that the efforts of his men have significantly reduced the activities of criminals in the waterways.
“Our experiences from the recently conducted Ex Eagle Eye brought out the need to sustain operations against these criminal elements with more emphasis on illegal bunkering, crude oil theft and operation of illegal refineries.
“I am pleased to announce that after a week of persistent crackdown on the operators of these illegalities, our team has so far discovered and destroyed a total of 42 illegal refining camps.
“Accordingly, about 3,000 MT of suspected stolen crude oil and 1,000MT of products suspected to be illegally refined AGO were destroyed in the operation, in line with extant regulations.
“Also, 40 Cotonou boats, laden with suspected stolen crude, were set ablaze, a total of nine speedboats and 14 pumping machines were recovered from the operation.
“The operation also led to several arrests, including three high profile members of the criminals involved in pipeline vandalism,” he said.
The naval boss said some of the criminals have been interrogated and handed over to the DIA, Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services for further investigation and possible prosecution. (NAN)
EDI/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola