Reported by: L.Imafidon
Nigeria’s House of Representatives has called for the creation of a special court dedicated to prosecuting crude oil theft cases, as lawmakers intensify efforts to curb large-scale losses in the country’s oil and gas sector.
The proposal was made in Abuja on Friday, July 4, 2026, during a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the House Special Committee on Crude Oil Theft, where members and security stakeholders reviewed the legal and operational challenges affecting the fight against petroleum-related crimes.
Chairman of the committee, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, a former House Leader, said the scale of crude oil theft and pipeline sabotage across oil-producing regions had become a major threat to Nigeria’s economic stability and national security. He argued that existing laws, many of which date back to military rule, were no longer sufficient to deter offenders or address the evolving sophistication of oil theft networks.
Doguwa said the current judicial process for such offences is often too slow and allows suspects to exploit procedural delays, weakening enforcement outcomes. He therefore proposed the establishment of a specialised court system to handle cases related to crude oil theft and other petroleum sector crimes, stressing that such offences require a distinct legal framework due to their economic impact and security implications.
He added that while the Petroleum Industry Act provides a modern foundation for regulation, older statutes still in use by the courts are inadequate for tackling organised oil theft. According to him, harmonising legislation and strengthening penalties would significantly improve deterrence and accountability.
The committee also expressed concern over the absence of some key regulatory agencies at the meeting, with lawmakers warning that effective coordination is essential for meaningful reform in the sector. They reaffirmed plans to engage institutions such as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission to ensure full stakeholder participation in ongoing legislative reviews.
Representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, Police and Civil Defence Corps attended the session, where they collectively acknowledged that oil theft has become increasingly organised, often involving complex logistics networks that move stolen crude across regions for illegal refining and export.
Security officials also highlighted weaknesses in the current justice system, arguing that penalties imposed by conventional courts are often too lenient to serve as deterrence. They called for stronger legal provisions and faster judicial processes to support enforcement operations already being carried out across the Niger Delta and other affected areas.
Lawmakers at the meeting further noted that Nigeria’s production targets continue to be undermined by persistent crude losses, despite ongoing interventions by security agencies and private sector stakeholders. They stressed that without stronger legal backing, enforcement efforts would remain limited in impact.
The committee assured Nigerians that it would continue working with relevant security and regulatory bodies to develop a more robust legal and operational framework aimed at reducing crude oil theft, improving revenue generation, and safeguarding critical national assets.
The proposal for a specialised court is expected to form part of broader legislative recommendations that will be presented for consideration in the National Assembly in the coming months.
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