The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has been summoned to appear before the House of Representatives to respond to allegations made by a private security company, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, that the company hired its services to secure pipelines but denied it access to the same pipelines.
The House Adhoc Committee, which began a probe into crude oil theft in the country, was dissatisfied that the NNPCL did not follow its prior invitation and provided another opportunity to the management and other key stakeholders who did not attend the inaugural session.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) reported that crude oil worth more than N16 trillion had been stolen in Nigeria since 2009.
NEITI Executive Secretary, Ogbonnaya Orji, stated this at an investigative hearing of the House, alleging that culprits include high-profile members of the society, security agencies, and host communities.