The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has promised the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) will assist the Senate ad hoc committee on crude oil theft in their efforts to combat the theft of the country’s oil resources.
At a meeting with committee members on Thursday at Force Headquarters in Abuja, which was chaired by Senator Ned Nwoko, who represents Delta North, Egbetokun provided the guarantee.
The purpose of the tour, according to force public relations officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi, was to promote interagency cooperation in order to combat crude oil theft throughout Nigeria’s onshore and offshore assets.
The statement states that on July 31, 2025, “A powerful delegation from the Senate committee on crude oil theft, headed by Senator Ned Nwoko, was received by Inspector-General of Police IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, at the IGP Smart Conference Hall, Force Headquarters, Abuja.”
“This is a strategic move to discuss ways to reduce Nigerian oil theft, both onshore and offshore.”
Nwoko stated that preventing widespread crude oil theft is the committee’s mandate in order to assist Nigeria in meeting its oil production goals.
He went on to say that the police’s complete cooperation was necessary to complete the assignment.
According to the release, “the chairman stated that the committee’s mandate is to ensure crude oil theft comes to an end so the country’s oil production targets can be met.”
“He emphasized that the committee cannot accomplish this mandate on its own without strong cooperation with the Nigeria Police Force, which is essential to preventing the theft of the country’s crude oil.”
In his reply, Egbetokun thanked the committee for coming and reaffirmed the Force’s dedication to safeguarding national resources and prosecuting oil criminals.
The statement further said, “The IGP reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to fighting crude oil theft, safeguarding vital national infrastructure, and making sure those responsible for this economic sabotage are held accountable.”
The head of police ordered the intelligence and operations deputy inspectors-general to start collaborating closely with the committee.
Over 353 million barrels of crude oil, worth over $25.7 billion, were stolen between 2002 and 2025, according to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The Senate committee declared that it would keep collaborating with security agencies to identify long-term fixes for this financial burden on the country.
