The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, has advised the government to compensate landowners in oil-producing areas, suggesting that this could reduce the appeal of oil theft.
Mazi Afam proposed this model of community involvement as part of the solution to oil theft, according to a statement on the NBA website on Tuesday.
According to him, “Compensating landowners in oil-producing areas could align local community interests with national priorities, reducing the appeal of oil theft.”
Osigwe called for reforms that empower communities to protect their resources, advocating that compensation structures would encourage local stakeholders to actively prevent theft.
“Ultimately, crude oil theft is not just an issue of enforcement or policy—it’s a problem of leadership, transparency, and accountability,” he said.
In June 2024, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd reported a total of 400 incidents of crude oil theft in just one week.
Furthermore, the NNPC reported that the bulk of the 400 incidents recorded during the week occurred in the Western region of Rivers and Bayelsa states, with 265 incidents.