3,153 vandalized points detected on oil pipelines in 12 months – NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) said it recorded a total of 3,153 punctured points on its oil pipelines in the 12 months ending in March 2016, adding, the continued crude and oil products losses were draining it financially,
“Incessant vandalism and products theft have continued to destroy value and put NNPC at disadvantaged competitive position,” the NNPC said in a report.
The Corporation recorded an operating deficit of N24.23 billion ($123 million) in February and N18.89 in March respectively.
it said, on the back of attacks on the Forcados crude export line that resulted in the loss of the entire oil export revenues of its subsidiary, NPDC.
Attacks on pipeline and other production facilities have risen in Nigeria’s Niger Delta in recent times after the government terminated pipeline protection contracts for former militants in the region and also began probing a former militant leader on corruption charges.
As a matter of fact,  recent repairs on the Warri and Kaduna refineries suffered a major setback with the blowing up of a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) crude trunkline feeding crude oil to both Warri and Kaduna refineries
The attack on the NNPC facility, which was recently repaired, is the second in as many days carried out by a new group of suspected militants in the Niger Delta that has vowed to cripple the oil and gas industry and the backbone of the Nigerian economy.
Also reportedly hit in the latest attack on Thursday night is an oil flow station feeding the Chevron Tank-farm in Warri South-West Government Area, Delta State.
A gas line feeding Lagos and Abuja power plants was also said to have been hit in what appears to be a well-coordinated renewed attack on the oil facilities in the Niger Delta.