"I can tell you in one line just less than 200 kilometres we had 295 illegal connections and you see the data".
Africa's biggest oil producer is losing nearly all the oil output at oil hub Bonny, the town after which its premium oil grade Bonny Light is named after and a key export point for the country, Mele Kyari, NNPC Limited said Tuesday.
Nigeria had in a bid to curb crude theft launched an application this month to monitor incidence.
"What is most difficult to manage today is the issue of crude oil theft, it is real and it is happening," Mr Kyari told a session of state house briefing in Abuja.
"Are we helpless? No, we are not helpless and our efforts are paying off.
"As we speak now, what you see on the screen is a typical site where crude oil is stolen and processed in illegal refineries. And this is so common around the pipeline that I can tell you in one line just less than 200 kilometres we had 295 illegal connections and you see the data," he said.
Mr Kyari added that no one produces oil so that the next person will take it.
He noted that the chief of defence staff was ordered to coordinate a process that will ensure both kinetics and non-kinetic interventions including engagements of communities, private contractors, and technology.
"As a result of those activities, we have so far with the Nigerian army and other agencies of government in the security network recovered 35.8 million litres of crude, 22 million litres of diesel 0.15 million litres of premium motor spirit and 0.76 million litres of kerosene.
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"11 vessels have been arrested, 30-speed boats, 179 wooden boats, and 37 trucks. What we do now, we don't arrest them, we burn them so that they won't come back to business again," he said.
According to the group managing director of the state-owned firm which was taken private recently, 122 suspects have been arrested and will be persecuted.
"And in addition to this, the activities that brought in place the destruction of 959 metal tanks, 737 ovens, 452 dugout pits, 342 reservoirs and 355 cooking pots have been destroyed."
"This simply means the destruction of the environment more than anything. Yes, we do know that we have lost revenue, opportunities and many more.
"We have lost money as a country but more than anything what this has done to our environment in some cases cannot be remedied anymore.
He noted that it is a very very insignificant minority that is involved in this and the communities are the victims.
"If you go to these communities, you will see that they are in difficulties.
"They can't have access to clean water, they can't go fishing, or farm and sometimes they are forced by these criminals to act in a manner that is illegitimate and that is why we are working with them.
