The Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom in Bayelsa State, His Royal Majesty King Bubaraye Dakolo, has urged the Federal Government to redirect its focus in the fight against oil theft, asserting that the real perpetrators are not from the oil-producing communities.
Speaking during the Health of Mother Earth Foundation’s Book Reading Series on the topic Reflections: Ecocide in the Niger Delta, King Dakolo dispelled the popular belief that oil theft is carried out by youths in the creeks. According to him, the real oil thieves are wealthy and influential individuals, often residing far from the region, who exploit impoverished young men to execute their illegal activities.
“The oil thief is usually not from the Niger Delta. He doesn’t live in the swamps and cannot even spend a night there. He is a big man—sometimes a company or even a foreign country—that funds the operations from afar,” the monarch stated. 
He explained that oil theft is a sophisticated crime requiring technical expertise, specialized tools, and even ships to transport stolen crude, which makes it far beyond the capacity of ordinary villagers. King Dakolo emphasized that those often labeled as oil thieves are actually victims of poverty, driven by desperation to carry out these dangerous acts for minimal pay.
“Oil theft is not a small man’s business. It involves breaking pipelines, which requires specific knowledge and equipment. The main beneficiaries are insiders in the oil industry who reap massive profits from these illegal activities,” he noted.
King Dakolo pointed fingers at the oil and gas regulators for their continued failure to address the issue. He described regulatory agencies like the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) as weak and compromised, accusing them of colluding with International Oil Companies (IOCs).
“Our regulators are among the worst in the world. They have no helicopters, no boats, not even houseboats. They rely on the oil companies for transport and logistics, which makes them susceptible to manipulation,” he lamented.
He further explained how pipeline vandalism has become a source of massive profit for certain players within the industry.
“When a pipeline is vandalized, repairs can cost up to a billion dollars. And the contracts for these repairs usually go to people within the industry, not locals. So, it’s in their interest to keep the cycle going,” he added.
The king also criticized the Federal Government for failing to provide quality fuel products across the country, arguing that this failure drives demand for illegally refined fuel from vandalized pipelines.
In his concluding remarks, King Dakolo painted a grim picture of the Niger Delta, describing it as a region ravaged by pollution from oil exploration and theft, and called for decisive action to protect both the environment and the people.
On his part, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director, HOMEF, said those who ought to protect the environment and the people are not interested in that rather profit from the oil and gas sector.
“In Nigeria, the forces that ought to be protecting the environment are not interested. The government and the companies are more interested in the dollars that come from the crude oil, and not about the quality of life the people live.
“Nobody can tell me that those who are in authority care about the environment after over 70 years of non-stop gas fare,” he said.
