Nigerian Regulatory Agency accuses ExxonMobil of oil theft

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has written to the Nigerian military alleging the illegal lifting of petroleum products by ExxonMobil at Bonny Terminal, Rivers State.

According to the letter dated 8 June and addressed to the Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, the agency claimed that an illegal petroleum lifting operation was taking place at the Bonny River terminal.

The letter, signed by the agency’s Chief Executive, Farouk Ahmed, was titled “Economic sabotage, criminal damage and theft through illegal petroleum lifting operations at Bonny River Terminal”.

Mr Ahmed claimed that ExxonMobil was lifting Butane at the terminal with the vessel marked Barumk Gas without the authorisation or participation of the agency responsible for regulating operations at the terminal.

It alleged that the actions of ExxonMobil and Barumk Gas constitute economic sabotage, criminal damage and theft of Nigeria’s national resources.

“The urgent attention of the Chief of Defence Staff is drawn to the illegal petroleum lifting operations taking place at Bonny River terminal,” the letter reads.

“The vessel Barumk Gas is lifting Butane at Bonny River Terminal without the authorisation or participation of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, which is the agency of government statutorily responsible for regulating operations at the terminal.

“This unlawful action is being facilitated with the active connivance of ExxonMobil, who have illegally destroyed the locks on the sea-line valve whose keys are in the custody of the Authority.” The agency urged the security agency to “urgently prevent the sailing out of Barumk Gas until investigations into the matter are concluded.”

Responding to the allegation in a message to PREMIUM TIMES Monday morning, a spokesperson for ExxonMobil said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC)/Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN) Joint entire are carried out in full compliance with the law.

“My response to your inquiry is that all operations of the NNPC/MPN Joint entire are carried out in full compliance with the law,” Oge Udeagha, the media and communications manager for ExxonMobil affiliate companies in Nigeria, said. PremiumTimes