The federal government has set up an Inter -Ministerial Committee on the recovery of the illegally refined petroleum products (crude oil) in the creeks of the Niger Delta region.
It said that operatives of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) would be effectively used in the fight against crude oil theft in the region.
The committee comprised representatives of the Nigerian Army, Navy, Civil Defence Corps, Defence Headquarters and the Federal Ministry of Defence.
Others in the committee are representatives of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Environment, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency.
Performing the inauguration of the committee on Thursday in Abuja, the Solicitor General of the Federation, Malam Umar Etsu Mohammed said that the committee was put in place in line with government direction on security and economy for efficient management of illegally refined petroleum seized from illegal operators in the creek.
Among other things, the federal government charged the committee to detect, report, evacuate, assess and ensure transparent disposal of the product with due consideration to the environment.
The Solicitor General of the Federation announced that the Federal Ministry of Justice will coordinate the process and house the Secretariat of the committee.
‘’It is also my hope that the proceeds from this exercise will be a source of additional revenue for the country’’
The Solicitor General of the Federation also said, ‘’the content of SOP is drawn from the provision of the Asset Tracing, Recovery and Management Regulations 2019’’
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