The Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, King Bubaraye Dakolo, has criticized the Federal Government for failing to clearly identify and prosecute those responsible for crude oil theft, despite the ongoing issue spanning decades.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Dakolo expressed frustration over the government’s inaction, noting that no major oil thieves have been arrested or imprisoned to date. “It’s shocking that not a single oil thief has been convicted or jailed,” he said. “Visit prisons like Kirikiri, Kuje, or even Kogi, and you won’t find a single person imprisoned for oil theft.”
He accused the government of targeting poor local residents instead of the real perpetrators. “Around 200,000 barrels of crude are stolen daily — this isn’t something you can hide in your pocket,” he said. “It requires large vessels, yet authorities pursue impoverished people who can’t even afford basic necessities like clothes or education.”
According to Dakolo, the real oil thieves are powerful individuals with lavish lifestyles and foreign properties. “These individuals have homes in Banana Island, Abuja, London, and other parts of the world. They travel in luxury, with escorts and medical teams in tow, and rarely set foot in the creeks of the Niger Delta — unless under heavy protection,” he explained.
He also condemned the lack of transparency in managing oil revenue. “The government’s refusal to properly define who an oil thief is has led us here,” he said, estimating that about \$3 trillion worth of crude oil has been extracted — much of it allegedly stolen. “Just like the endless return of the Abacha loot, we expect more to surface this year. That’s around $1 trillion. Then there’s another $2 trillion that has come into the country but has been mismanaged, siphoned off, or lost through corruption blamed on rats, snakes, cows, and so on.”
He concluded that poor oversight and accountability continue to hinder the oil sector.
Earlier in February, Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, stated that both security agencies and oil operators were working to meet President Tinubu’s 2.5 million barrels per day target. Despite a three-month deadline to reduce oil theft in the Niger Delta, production remains stuck at 1.4 million barrels per day.
