The House of Representatives Special Committee on Crude Oil Theft wants Nigeria to toughen its laws against oil thieves and pipeline saboteurs. The committee pushed for a dedicated court to speed up prosecutions of those caught stealing crude oil.
The proposal came Thursday at a stakeholders' meeting in Abuja where lawmakers, security officials and other players mapped out ways to fight crude oil theft and sabotage in the energy sector. Alhassan Doguwa, who leads the committee, said the country's current penalties aren't strong enough to stop offenders.
Many of the laws still in use date back to Nigeria's military era, Doguwa explained. This leaves judges with little flexibility to hand down punishments that match the gravity of the crimes, he added.
"We've made solid progress in our discussions, and everyone agreed to work together on fixing the legal frameworks and the problems holding them back," Doguwa told the gathering. He stressed that other oil-producing nations move forward because they've given courts the legal tools to handle their challenges.
While the Petroleum Industry Act governs oil and gas operations, it doesn't cover all criminal offences that older statutes address, Doguwa noted. Those older laws, he said, have become outdated and unfit for purpose.
"Without fresh legislation and a new legal framework, courts will keep using these obsolete laws when tackling serious crime in Nigeria's oil sector," Doguwa stated. He pledged the committee would partner with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other parties to rebuild the legal architecture against crude oil theft.
The crime continues to hollow out Nigeria's oil output and drain government coffers, Doguwa stressed. A special court would move cases quickly through the system, he added.
"If these cases stay in regular courts, many will languish because of delays while criminals dodge real punishment," he said. Doguwa took a swipe at the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission for its absence from the meeting, calling it regrettable given how central the agency is to sector oversight.
The committee has ordered its staff to summon the commission to testify before them. Goodluck Ilajufi, Director of Energy Security at the National Security Adviser's office, represented Nuhu Ribadu at the gathering.
Ilajufi urged lawmakers to sharpen existing laws because current sentences don't scare off crude oil thieves and vandals. Security agencies burn enormous sums catching and trying suspects, only to watch judges hand out light sentences or small fines, he noted.
"We need laws with real teeth that actually stop people from breaking them," Ilajufi said. David Idowu, Assistant Commandant-General (Operations) of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, backed the special court idea, saying it would hold criminals and their backers accountable.
