Africa’s biggest oil producer is losing almost all oil production in the Bonny oil hub, the city after which its premium Bonny Light oil grade and a key export point for the country, Mele Kyari, are named. limited NNPC he said Tuesday.

Nigeria, in a bid to curb oil theft, launched an app this month to monitor the incidence.

“What is most difficult to deal with today is the issue of crude oil theft, it is real and it is happening,” Kyari told a state house briefing in Abuja.

“Are we defenseless? No, we are not defenseless 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 a line of just under 200 kilometers we had 295 illegal connections and you see the data”, he said.

Mr. Kyari added that no one produces oil for the next person to drink.

He noted that the chief of defense staff has been directed to coordinate a process that will ensure both kinetic and non-kinetic interventions, including engagements from communities, private contractors, and technology.

“As a result of those activities, we have so far recovered with the Nigerian military and other government agencies in the safety net 35.8 million liters of crude oil, 22 million liters of diesel, 0.15 million liters of premium gasoline for motors, and 0.76 million liters of kerosene.

“11 boats, 30 speedboats, 179 wooden boats, and 37 trucks have been stopped. What we do now, we don’t arrest them, we burn them so they don’t go back to work,” he said.

According to the managing director of the group of the state-owned company that was recently privatized, 122 suspects have been arrested and will be prosecuted.

“And in addition to this, the activities that led to the destruction of 959 metal tanks, 737 ovens, 452 pits, 342 tanks and 355 pots have been destroyed.”

“This simply means environmental destruction more than anything. Yes, we know that we have lost income, opportunities, and much more.

“We have lost money as a country, but more than anything that this has done to our environment in some cases can no longer be remedied.

He pointed out 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 difficulty.

“They can’t have access to clean water, they can’t go fishing or farming, and sometimes these criminals force them to act in an illegitimate way and that’s why we’re working with them.