KEY POINTS

• NNPCL and security agencies stepped up action after finding a damaged crude pipeline at Pai community in the FCT.
• A joint operation arrested three suspected vandals in the Piri and Pai communities.
• Records show 19 vandalism cases in 2025 and five so far in 2026 across major pipeline routes.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and security agencies have intensified their efforts to combat pipeline vandalism after discovering a damaged section of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company crude oil pipeline at Pai community in the Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The teams used a joint inspection to assess the damage, advance investigations and tighten coordination around critical energy infrastructure.

A coordinated security response

The inspection brought together NNPC’s Industry-wide Security Architecture, the NPSC, the Office of the National Security Adviser’s Special Prosecution Team, the FCT Police Command, the Nigerian Army and other stakeholders. Moreover, the visit followed the arrest of three suspected vandals in the Piri and Pai communities, which a joint operation by the Special Prosecution Team, the police and the IWSA carried out.

Speaking during the inspection, NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer Bashir Bayo Ojulari, represented by Chief Interface Officer Dahiru Sani-Gwarzo, said the arrests marked an important step toward dismantling the criminal networks behind attacks on energy infrastructure. Furthermore, he stressed that the security architecture targets not only those directly involved but also the sponsors and the receivers of stolen pipeline materials.

Rising attacks on critical infrastructure

The NPSC, a subsidiary of NNPCL, operates more than 5,000 kilometers of crude oil and petroleum products pipelines across Nigeria. However, pipeline attacks have risen in recent years, as criminal groups target the infrastructure to remove and steal materials.

According to industry records, operators logged 19 pipeline vandalism cases in 2025, which led to the theft of about nine kilometers of pipeline along the Enugu-Makurdi-Yola route and the Piri-Izom section of the Warri-Kaduna corridor. So far in 2026, five cases have surfaced, including incidents around Piri-Kwali and Gwagwalada on the Warri-Kaduna crude oil route, as well as Badanga on the Jos-Gombe corridor.

Consequently, the company framed the latest operation as part of a broader drive to protect national energy assets from economic sabotage. Ultimately, by combining inspections, arrests and prosecution, NNPCL and its security partners signaled that they intend to pursue both the field operatives and the wider networks that profit from the trade, in a bid to safeguard supply and revenue.