A Criminological Investigation into Oil Theft and Its Security Implications In the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstrak

The object of this study is to investigate the menace of oil theft in the Niger Delta region, which is embedded in the Southern part of Nigeria described politically as the South-South geopolitical zone, and the security implications accompanying the menace. The objective is achieved by evaluating the continued incidence of oil theft even after years of agitation, amnesty, and sundry interventions to end oil theft and the resultant instability in the region. Adopting the qualitative doctrinal method of research, the findings show that 5-7% of the global market equivalent for crude is being stolen annually, which simply affirms already hypothesized suspicions that Nigeria suffers systemic corruption, a large shadowy network of oil theft, and security agencies' compromise or complicity in the thievery. Taking into account the history of instability, the security implications are rather grim, having the potential to return the region back into the dark age of violent agitations. It is therefore recommended that host communities and oil companies work together, as over-reliance on the Nigerian Government has proved abortive.